Mass Effect: Alex King OC
by Tazmine15
Summary: OC Alex King, a biotic Vanguard, N7 graduate never imagined that his very first nonEarth mission would lead him into a spiral of events. As he follows his role model, the great John Shepard, he's thrown into suicide mission after suicide mission. Only time will tell if he's able to survive like that man he's been training to equal. Will he find love, and happiness, or die trying?
1. Chapter 1

**At the Citadel 3 days before the mission on Eden Prime: **

Leaning over in his seat, rubbing his hands together, Alex King, waits nervously as the Alliance ship docks at the Citadel. He was alone, in his Alliance military casual wear, his hair up in his usual way. Sides cut short, top part combed into a soft relaxed version of a Mohawk cut short. His hair got him into several different problems. Sometimes it was too long, other times it wasn't cut cleanly enough, and other times the commanding officers just wanted to yell at him for being one of the top soldiers. They always compared him to Captain Anderson, and Lieutenant-Commander Shepard. It was a way of training him for perfection, which he knew he may never attain with other brave soldiers around him.

As the ship hissed it last breath, King stood, exhaling his nerves, and them hardened them. All doubt, hesitation, and worry left his facial expressions and body language. He walked out with a confident stride, saluting his higher ups, and thanking all the crew for their hard work.

"King I want you to leave your belongings here until the Commander gives you the orders. There's a chance…you're coming back home to Earth soldier" Commander Gerhardt placed a hand on King's shoulder as he stood in the airlock.

"Yes sir. Of course, sir" Alex saluted Commander Gerhardt and walked onto the Citadel for the first time in his twenty-three years of living. After leaving the ship he relaxed his shoulders a little bit and allowed himself to look around. He walked by and saw many different species, Turian, Human, Asari, all different sorts. But, the one that caught his eye was the female Quarian. She was in a full environmental suit, with a hood of dark purple, and light purple swirls.

It was odd, his palms started to get warm, and his heart was pounding, and suddenly she was gone. He blinked, wondering why his body reacted so oddly to the presence of one person. And someone he didn't even know. She seemed to be there one moment and then gone the next, never to be seen again.

It took Alex nearly thirty minutes just to find the C-Sec entrance that his commander was waiting for him at. Luckily for him he was already early, and sat on the bench overlooking the arms of the Citadel.

"Quite the view, huh? That's the reason I picked this place" Commander Douglas was standing behind King, his hands behind his back. He was in full military blues, his metals shinnying in the fake, artificial day light. Alex jumped to his feet, faced the Commander and saluted.

"Please excuse me sir. I did not hear you coming", Alex stood as stiff as a board and looked straight ahead, like he had been taught for many years.

"Please, relax. I want to talk to you before we go to the briefing. Here, sit, continue to enjoy the view" Douglas sat down and relaxed, letting out a content sigh. King had learned years before to allow himself to relax when the higher-ups allowed it. He sat on the bench, and relaxed, but still kept up his posture and his military bravado.

"You're going to Eden Prime. And it's not too hard of a mission. But…I want you to know…I don't have a good feeling about it. I get these from time to time, comes with age, and they're usually right. Watch your six out there, the N7 can't afford to lose you. You have great potential to become something special. Grab your gear and head to dock D45. There you will meet Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. You'll be with her on guard duty of the Prothean artifact. She'll fill you in on the minor details. She's expecting you in…now" he stood up and smiled at Alex. King stood swiftly, saluted, and ran off the dock D16 where his gear was.

Commanding officers did that often, telling you that you're late. It was to see if you would rush and get things done accurately. And to see that if you were late, what excuse you would or wouldn't come up with. But Alex wasn't going to need an excuse, he double timed it and got there with five minutes to spare, information he got from another soldier, and took that time to steady his breath. While dropping off his stuff he looked over his gear, finally realizing that he wasn't in Kansas anymore. He shook his head and arms then regain his military domineer.

"You're on time. That's new" Ashley didn't even look up from the mission brief as Alex walked in. He stood there and saluted her, she still didn't look up. "Not to be rude, but we don't have much time for that. While you're the only one on schedule, everyone else if behind schedule. Here, the map of the mission area" Ashley showed him the route in which they would be taking. It took only ten minutes for Ashley to go over the mission, the safety measures, and answer Alex's questions. "Good…good. It's nice to find someone who can ask strategically accurate questions. Well…that's all. If you need anything let me know, I'm basically your commanding officer until things get straightened out" she walked over to the door before Alex stopped her.

"I…uh...I'm a mechanical expert on almost any ship. If you need something fixed…I can do it Ma'am…" he gave her a small smile, seeming to like his new "commanding officer". She waved for him to follow and that he did, until she stopped in the com room.

"You're really not supposed to be in here, but uh…we really need to get these coms working. Can you get it done?" Alex crouched down, opened a panel into the wiring and came back out quickly giving her a thumbs up. Ashley smiled and walked out, "I'll make sure to give you clearance" she walked out of the room leaving Alex alone. He sat there and sighed, relaxing for the first time since he got onto the Alliance war ship, the SSV Concord.

After walking back to the crew deck to get his tools, Alex went to the com room and started working on the problem. It was an easy problem, but it would take him a few days. He was glad for that though, it allowed him to think about things, relax before the mission, and make himself useful on the ship. By the day of the mission Alex had gotten to know the team that came in and out of the com room, and told them how to keep the equipment working. They thanked him, and Alex found himself a good breakfast before he went to go work out.

He did this before every mission. Went to where ever he could be alone, or semi-alone, and would work out. It was his ritual of some sort, and helped him clear his mind. It started off with push-ups, followed by sit-ups, jump rope, defensive rolls, and finished with a cool down of stretches. After about an hour of short put powerful work outs, Alex had a thin layer of sweat on his body. He walked over to his locker and put on his standard military gear: Re-enforced leggings with magnetic boots for anti-gravity areas, N7 chest plate, N7 gauntlets, and an N7 full helmet, with an oxygen supply.

As he walked down to the launch area, where the team of six gathered Alex was joined by Ashley. He tried to salute but she caught his arm, "Not when it's just me and you. In front of others, yes, but not in the elevator. I'm Ashley Williams, I never got your name" she smiled at him. Unlike Alex, the bottom half of her mask was open so you could see her mouth.

Alex smiled at her and looked down at her suit, it was mainly white with pink down the seams. He blinked and looked at his own, a normal edition, navy blue and black coloring. "I never knew you could color your armor…" he crossed his arms and listened as Ash explained that it cost her an arm and a leg. Plus, it took two weeks work of filing paper work to get the paint job accepted.

Time seemed to fly for Alex as they got into the land rover, and drove out. They were split into two teams, Alpha, and Bravo. He was on Bravo with Ashley and someone else he didn't bother to remember the name of. It took them about an hour to get everyone situated and on their way. Ashley choose an assault rifle, and sniper as her primary guns, and a standard issue, every soldier had to have. Alex on the other hand took an assault rifle, and an SMG, he never did like pulling the trigger a lot.

"Alright, let's start the patrol, and when we get to the excavation site, we can stop and take a break. Maybe even look at this Prothean beacon they're digging up" Alex and the other soldier saluted and followed Ashley. It took nearly an hour to get to the dig site when they heard electronic sound.

"I thought…they would be taking a break by now…" Alex looked around and felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He looked around and saw a light peek out from the shadows. "Gunnery Chief…there's" before he could finish his sentence a mechanical sapient AI or VI came out of the shadows and opened fire on Alex and Ashley's squad mate. "HIT THE DECK" Alex jumped forward and pushed Ashley behind a shipping container. "What the hell are the geth doing here Ashley?" he hissed at her through his mask and she glared at him.

"This was not in the mission briefing was it? If not, then I don't know either! So don't get attitude with me. Now open fire!" she stood up from cover, shot off a few rounds and came back down. "We've got two dead ahead, two at about eleven, and then one at well one. You get eleven and I'll get the rest" she stood up and started to fire once more.

Alex rolled his eyes and stood easily taking out the two at eleven and even took out the one at one o'clock. "Yeah, no. I'm a better shot than you are" he chuckled lightly at the challenge and looked at her for the next set of orders.

"Alright, smart ass, let's go make sure the scientists aren't dead yet" she radioed into team Alpha and got nothing but static. "Dammit…come on" she took the lead and headed down the steady slope, her rifle at the ready as they went.

"ksssssss….Ashley!...kss we're facing…ksss…ksssss….no one left…ksss…ksss…return to….kss…no! NO! Please no!" explosions and gun firing was head in both Ashley's and Alex's headset.

"Alpha team? Alpha team!" Ashley tried to reach them again, but no one answer, and the microphone went dead. "Dammit. It's just me and you…we should've stayed together. We…I…" she looked down, and Alex placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ash…it's not your fault. You were only following orders. I'm still alive. You've got me still right? Let's go see about those scientists and work from there" she looked up, then at him, and nodded.

"Thanks…" she seemed to steady herself and keep going. When a wave of geth came up from behind, and opened fire. "Get down!" it was Ashley this time that pushed Alex behind cover and looked over the rock they were behind. "There are…twenty….more? No, we can't do this, we need to push forward and try and see if anyone is at the scientists!" they kept going, nearly getting shot in the back several times. They saw the dig site and foot prints leading away from it, and so far no dead bodies. "Ah!" Ashley cried as a bullet hit in the heel of her boot and stumbled.

"Ash!" he grabbed her arm and they dove behind cover once again and saw a group of three guys come up and shoot down the geth. Alex stood up and started to shoot the geth, Ashley at his side. It took them moments to mow down the geth.

"Thank God you're here" she looked around for their third squad mate. Then she noticed he was shot down and felt horrible, "I'm sorry for your loss" she looked at Alex and he nodded lowering his head for a moment.

"I'm Lieutenant-Commander John Shepard, and this is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko" Kaidan nodded and waved a sad smile on his face. "And you two are?" he motioned at them and Alex let Ashley answer, she was in commander between the two of them.

Ashley saluted, followed suit by Alex and reported, "I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams" there was a pause and Alex took a second to realize that she was allowing himself to say his own name is rank.

"Pardon me sir. I am…uh…Alex King N7 graduate" Ashley looked at him with something of bewilderment.

"You don't know your own rank?" Ash glared at him and he got defensive.

"I was instated on the ship to the Citadel. I got an email, and Commander Douglas confirmed it. But they must've forgotten something in the email or he forgot something. D-" he was interrupted by his omni-tool glowing and he looked down at it. "Sorry for the misinformation. Alex King, due to your outstanding work on the battle field on Earth, you have been promoted to Lieutenant. Congratulations on your graduation from the N7 program." Alex sighed and shook his head. "See…let's try that again. I am Lieutenant Alex King" he saluted and Shepard chuckled along with Alenko.

Alex and Ashley joined them, it wasn't something really funny, but in a stressful moment, anything out of sorts would lighten the mood. "Lieutenant, you…now have a higher rank than Gunnery Chief Ashley so I guess I'll ask you for a status update. So…report soldier" Alex saluted and told Commander Shepard about their mission and how they were the only ones left. "So no word from the scientists yet…let's go back to that dig site. See what we can find, and go from there" they all nodded and started to head back, making it to the dig site easily.

As they made it back to the dig site with just a few more geth to take out, Shepard sighed, "Well it looks like they're not here. Probably ran, but the Prothean Beacon isn't anywhere to be found. Let's go ask around…see if anyone is still alive" Shepard took the lead and everyone else followed him, keeping their eyes peeled for the geth. By the time they got back to the little storage area for the equipment they saw tall spikes with human bodies on them.

"Oh god…it's the scientists…" Alex stepped back and watched as one of the spikes dropped down, and the body started to move. "She's…it's…alive" he pulled up his gun and fired at the creature before him. It screamed a hollow machine like scream, and turned his blood to ice. He watched as more came down, "I've heard of these…them…they were brought here by the geth" he looked at Ashley and she looked just as scared.

Suddenly the other spikes began to lower and other husks came from the buildings, "Open fire!" Shepard pulled up his pistol and started to fire, and they all did the same. There was an overwhelming amount, but they survived. "Wait…wait…hold on…I hear something" Shepard looked around and saw there was a storage unit that was locked.

Alex took charge and ran over to the door, "This lock is easy, give me a like two seconds" he said as the rest got closer. He opened the door and stepped in his pistol on his hip, so he was very vulnerable.

"Stay where you ar- Alliance? Oh thank God I thought everyone was dead. When the geth came we tried to hide here, then it went silent" the female scientist was shaking along with her companion. Alex saw there wasn't a whole lot of room, and he wasn't the commanding officer so he stepped out and looked around. It took him until just now to realize he was second highest rank in the squad, so that if something went wrong he would be in charge. That sent chills down his spine. King was trained and ready to lead, but that doesn't mean he wants to.

Shepard came back out with the Ashley, Alenko, and the scientists. "They're going to try and get off Eden Prime, and get back to the Citadel with their report. Good job watching our six" Shepard patted Alex on the shoulder. Little did Alex know that he was just complimented by the galaxy's savior.

"They said the beacon was taken by the geth. Now it's our turn to take it back!" Alenko smiled and looked battle ready. They headed out, going back the way Ashley and Alex came, but took the route Alpha team was supposed to take. Ashley and Alex saw their bodies, and had to harden their nerves, as to not crack under pressure.

The geth just seemed to keep coming, and from nowhere sometimes. They walked forward and saw the dead body of a Turian. "Nihlus!" Alenko gasped as he saw the body and Shepard ran forward.

"Head shot…he's dead…what happened here? He was a spectre…" Ashley had walked around while Shepard questioned the air.

"Please don't shoot!" a worked stood up from behind the crates with his hands held high.

Shepard had heard his movements and had a pistol aimed for his head, "I almost killed you. Don't jump out like that! Now tell me what happened here" Shepard's tone was harsh and stern. Alex could see that it scared the worker.

"Sir…I was uh…back here…hiding from the geth…when I saw your friend over there walk up. He was looking around when another Turian came by. They seemed to be friends, then the Turian…I think his name was Saren, just shot your friend! I thought he was going to kill me too. But then he went over to the lift…" he looked around and seemed to get even more scared by telling his story.

"What were you doing behind those crates?" Ashley asked her eyes narrowing at the man.

"I…well…I…was…napping. It's hard here. The boss works you to the bone, and I hardly get any sleep. So I come back here to get fifty winks…where no one can see me" he lowered his head in shame as he told the truth behind his actions.

"You lived because you were lazy? We should leave him here Commander! He's alive while everyone else died working" Ashley seemed to snarl the words, and the man shrank further and further into himself.

"He's alive. Not for the right reasons. But he's alive. I want you out of here, and I don't want to see you again. Understand?" the man nodded and ran off to what seemed like the living quarters.

"And no more sleeping on the job!" Ashley called after and Alex could help but shake his head. Shepard called into his commanding officer and told him about Nihlus, and they continued on, heading over to the lift the man had told them about. "Get ready…anything can happen" Shepard readied his assault rifle along with Ashley, Alenko with his pistol, and Alex with his SMG. As they got to the other side of Eden Prime's shipping structure they were assaulted by geth. With a few nicks and close calls they finally took out the last geth, and made their way to the beacon.

As Shepard reported into his higher up once again, Ashley looked at the beacon. "This is an actual Prothean beacon. It appears to be working…" she got too close and this green light started to reach out for her. She started to rise and looked at if she was paralyzed.

"Ashley!" Alex called out and Shepard ran forward, grabbed her, and threw her back to Alex. Catching Ashley, Alex tried to get Shepard, but Alenko stopped him, telling him it was too dangerous. The three sat there in horror as the commander was raised into the air, and seemed to be pelted with mental images. Finally the beacon exploded, and Shepard falls to the ground, unconscious.

"Normandy! This is Staff Lieutenant Alenko. Lieutenant-Commander Shepard has made contact with the Prothean beacon, and well…it exploded. We need to get him out of here now. The mission is a failure, but we have important news for when we get back" Alex helped Alenko pick up Shepard as the Normandy pulled up.


	2. Chapter 2

In the shuttle bay was Captain Anderson, and Dr. Chakwas, "Get Shepard to the medical bay on the second level" Alex nodded to the Doctor as they all moved to the elevator. "What exactly happened? Was Shepard shot? I was just told to get to the shuttle bay ASAP" Alenko told her about what happened, while Ashley told Captain Anderson what happened during the mission.  
Once they got Shepard to the medical bay, Alenko went back to his post and Captain Anderson said that Ashley and Alex could wait in the mess hall just outside the medical bay door. Out there Ashley and Alex were able to sit down and relax, even get a glass of water. After waiting and waiting for about twelve hours Ashley went into the medical bay to check on Shepard. She seemed to be there for a very long time, and around the fourteen hour mark Captain Anderson came forward.  
Alex saluted, "Thank you for allowing us to stay aboard your ship for the time being, Captain" Anderson chuckled and looked at Alex.  
"What's your name and rank soldier?" Anderson was a dark man, of African descent, and his voice was deep, and raspy. Alex loved it when his commanding officer's voice was deep and demanding, instead of high pitched and whiny.  
"Sir, N7 Graduate, Lieutenant Alex King" he watched as Anderson smiled and seemed to be pleasantly surprised.  
"Well it's great to have you aboard, Lt. King. I am Captain David Anderson. And welcome to the Normandy. I talked to your original commanding officer, and we agreed on a deal. If you want to, you can stay aboard the ship with Ashley and the crew. We could use a mechanical genius like yourself" he winked and smiled at Alex as he walked off to the Medical Bay. Before he went in he turned around, "Oh, and your stuff and Ashley's belongs are at the Citadel waiting for you. We're heading there now. Oh, and we're going to need you to come on shore with us to be a witness as to what happened on Eden Prime. After that you are free to get back onto the ship" and with that Anderson was gone.  
After that Alex was shown to his little living space, down in Engineering. He was given a really small room, big enough for a bed, and a very small desk. He was given this room, because it gave him an instant access to the maintenance shaft that was a tunnel system at went to every corner of the Normandy. It also allowed him to make repairs without getting in the way too much.  
It only took them two more hours to get to the Citadel, thanks to the wonders of the Mass Effect relays, and Alex put on his regular Alliance casual wear uniform and waited at the Citadel Tower for the rest of his crew as they walked around getting minor tasks down.  
"I thought you said they were the last of the witnesses Captain" Ambassador Udina scowled at Alex and kept walking. Alex followed next to Ashley and Alenko, and could tell there was tension between Udina, and the rest of the group. As they made their way to where the Council was waiting, Alex started to become nervous. He had heard of the great Citadel Council, but he had never really seen any of them.  
And to his shock, they were just an average looking turian, asari, and salarian. He was expecting them to be Godly like they had been described so many times. But they were just regular people with great minds, and a lot of authority. He listened as Saren gave his case saying that he was being tried with dreams instead of evidence as Shepard told them about the beacon.  
In the end, the Council disregarded the accusations against their top spectre and sent the group on their way. "Lt. King, I have a favor to ask you. One of our crew members messed up and caused a ship wide malfunction. I need you to go into the shafts and find the problem, and fix it. Shepard and the rest will go out and try and find evidence against Saren, and his crimes against humanity" Alex nodded, saluted, and jogged off to the Normandy to start on his work.  
Back on the Normandy, Alex knew to ask around to see exactly what had happened, so he went to Engineer Adams first. "Well, I don't know who did it. But they somehow got into the Normandy's engine power security system. They changed the password, and well we need you to go into the shafts, reset the engine power security terminal, and radio in when you've gotten that done" Alex looked at the terminal where the engine power was controlled from to get some sort of idea what the system he was dealing with.  
"Adams this is a very advanced system I can do it. I just need the blueprints from when this ship was made" Adams replied by telling him to go over to the ships information log with his omni-tool or a data pad and down load the Normandy blueprint S3-456. After doing that Alex grabbed his tools and climbed down the maintenance shaft. He grabbed his utility helmet from his bag of tools, slipped it on and turned on the light so he could see. Under where all the activity area of the Normandy, the hidden area was long tunnels and ladders behind the elevators to go from level to level.  
Alex was just below the engineering level, where most of the engine room's wiring, and control panels. As King looked around he could see from the ceiling giant groups of wires were bunched together and hanging out of little unfinished panels. "They must have been rushed to get this ship done. It's not going to affect the Normandy, but it is a hazard for me I'll fix it after the security reset" he started forward, looking at his data pag from time to time to make sure he was heading the right way. He was turned around a few times, with symbols that weren't clear on the small screen. It took him a good hour to weave his way over to where the security terminal was placed.  
"Adams I found the terminal do you want the code to reset the terminal from up there? Or reset the whole system, I can get into the system and extract the password from here" Adams seemed to ask around to see what the others thought he should do.  
"Lt. I want you to extract the password to see if the reset was truly an accident or not. We'll reset it from up here, great job. Go grab some lunch when you're done with this" Alex got to work unscrewing the panel, and reaching into the group of wires.  
"Blue is…here…oh boy…um…alright. Let's uh…see which blue they mean. Oh…the light blue…there's two of those…lovely. One is for extraction, and the other is for resetting the terminal…" he looked at the data pad once more. It took him a good ten minutes to get the coding on the wires to match up, with how faded and twisted the wires were. He plugged his data pad into the terminal and extracted the password, "poij" to him it clearly looked like a mistake, like someone had swiped the screen. "Got the password, sending it to your omni-tool now" Adams thanked him and said for him to go grab lunch.  
Alex did just that, after weaving his way back up to the surface, leaving his utility helmet on his little bed, and taking the elevator alone, he came to the mess hall. He chowed down on something that looked like discolored beef, some alien vegetables, and downed a beer, allowing himself to relax. It sat there for a bit, then went back down the Engineering. He decided to get to know the people he would be working with for quite some time. They were all sweet, and very intelligent people, which brightened up Alex's mood. He was getting used to people who didn't know a screwdriver from a hammer.  
After a few hours of sitting around, waiting for his next set of orders Shepard and another figure walked into the engine room. "Attention" everyone stood at attention and saluted. "At ease, I Commander John Shepard, and the captain of the SSV SR-1 Normandy" he seemed proud, and saddened about this news. Now he turned to the figure the was slightly hidden in the poor lighting, they used the engine's lighting to save energy instead of lights.  
"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and she says she's an expert in engines. She use to help with engine repairs back on the Flotilla" Tali'Zorah stepped forward and Alex blinked, remembering Tali from a few days ago on the Citadel.  
Engineer Adams stepped forward, "I'm Lead Engineer Adams, this is Josh, he works on power control, Becky, who works on stability, Tim, Paul, and Zoey work as assistants, and work on varying tasks. And our other newest member is Lt. Alex King. He works on various mechanical projects, and can help you from here. We're trying to get the engine power security back in order. Something happened, but we have it under control Commander" Shepard nodded and smiled at Tali.  
"I wish I didn't have to just through you into the melting pot, but there are ship wide issues that I need to take care of" he shook hands with Tali and walked out. Once Shepard was gone Alex seemed to relax, and Tali walked over to him.  
"Were you on the Citadel just a few days ago?" her eyes showed dimly under her mask as she blinked.  
"Yeah…I saw you. You…were injured right? I'm glad you're up and walking" Alex rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Tali's arm where she had clearly fixed her suit.  
"Yes, I was able to find a doctor that could help me. Saren's assassins took a shot at me. It was my fault, my barriers were down" she looked around while talking to him.  
"Wow…you're a trooper. Uh…you're really tough. Surviving something like that" he was mentally slapping himself. He had never talked to a quarian before, and this was something he didn't want to screw up. "You're suit is beautiful, you can hardly tell where the rupture was" he decided to stop talking after that.  
To Alex's surprise Tali chuckled, "You haven't talked to many quarians have you?" she crossed her arms and tilted a little, as if finding out a secret, and wanting to know more about it.  
"To be honest…I haven't really talked to any other species than humans…so…no. I've never talked to a quarian before…" he watched as she gave a dismissive wave of her hand.  
"I won't shot you for making a mistake. We'll learn together. I haven't really talked to very many humans, so I don't know how to go about it either" he smiled at that and turned as he heard Engineer Adams walk up.  
"I'm glad you two are talking. Alex, you have an extra bunk in your room correct?" Alex had never noticed, but there was a bunk bed in his room, not just a regular bed. "So Tali can bunk with you, if you both are alright with that" Tali nodded and walked over to the storage to get her things.  
"This is a…gender mingling ship isn't it…where this is not real…men woman sleeping quarters…huh" he looked at Adams, seeming to be worried about sharing a room with Tali.  
"Yes, men and women share sleeping quarters. There are different bathrooms, and changing rooms. I doubt Tali's going to change her environmental suit, so you don't have to worry. If you want you can ask to keep the door open. So you aren't tempted by a lovely quarian female" Adams gave him a smile and one of those looks of a mocking joke.  
"I'll be fine. Pervert" he mumbled the last part under his breath and walked into his room. There was no day or night on the ship, but he had been awake for more than twenty-four hours. He waited for Tali to come by for him to tell her he was going to sleep.  
"I think I'll do so as well…" she placed her gear in the drawers of the left side of the desk. "I see you're already settled in on the bottom bunk, I'll go to the top" Alex was about to offer his bunk, but Tali was already on the top. "Night" she seemed to go quiet after that, so Alex turned off the light and crawled into bed, and fell fast asleep.  
After roughly ten hours of uninterrupted sleep, Alex woke naturally, to an empty bed room. He could tell Tali wasn't there because he couldn't hear her breathing though her olfactory filters. He stood and stretched, glad he was able to get a full eight hours and more of rest. He walked out of the room and Paul chuckled, "Hey sleepy head" Alex smiled.  
"Sorry I can't stay up for two or three days at a time. I'll start practicing right away" they laughed together and Tali looked at him.  
"I hope I didn't wake you" she seemed to be really worried about it. "I don't know how long humans are supposed to sleep. Quarians usually try and get eight to ten hours after being up for twelve or more hours" she started to play with her three things as she talked.  
"That's alright. I woke up on my own. That's about the same humans sleep as well, so it's alright" he stretched again and looked at Adams. "Any work?", he was eager to get something done around the Normandy.  
"No…I think Ashley could use some help. She's at the shuttle bay's armory" he never looked up from his work, and seemed to forget that Alex was even there. Going over to the shuttle bay Alex saw a krogan and a turian, "I'm Lt. Alex King" Alex offered his hand to the Krogan and was given a cold shoulder. "Wrex" was all he said and Alex nodded, then walked over to Ashley.  
"Don't worry, most krogan are like that. Although I don't agree on having him here…" Ashley whispered to him as he got closer.  
"Ah, I see. Anyways, I came over here to help. Adams told me you needed help with something?" Ashley shook her head no.  
"I got it done. It was easier than I thought, although it looks like Garrus over there could use some help. The turian" she went back to her work on Shepard's sniper rifle as Alex walked away.  
"I'm Lt. Alex King" Alex said it this time a little more sheepishly as he walked up next to Garrus.  
He turned and held out his hand, which Alex took, "Ex C-Sec officer, Garrus Vakarian" Alex smiled and was pleased with the improvement of the introduction.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you" he looked over at what Garrus was working on, "Ah a fuel rod transfusion?" Garrus nodded, surprise on his face.  
"Well, well. It's good to see a human who can tell the different between the hood of a vehicle, and the trunk" Alex chuckled.  
"Glad to see the same thing. Anything I can assist you with" Garrus nodded, and they both go to work on the Mako's fuel injection performance. It was a nice time to laugh and work at the same time. Garrus was a laid back, kick ass, go to the bar with kind of guy.  
"Haha, and the guy, shot off the gun in the barracks and said, 'No one loves me' he was court marshaled, and removed of all his rank, and lost his job. That's why you don't drink on the job" Garrus laughed as Alex finished his story.  
"Oh come on now. I can have a turian beer or two. Unlike humans I can hold my alcohol" he chuckled with his thick raspy voice and sipped some of his beer.  
"When you drive through the Normandy and say no one loves you, don't tell me I didn't warn you" they laughed together as they finished up the job. Over the intercom Joker, the helmsman called for Tali and Alex to report to the Galaxy map. "I'll see you later Garrus. Nice chatting with you" Alex picked up his gear and seemed a little sad to go.  
"No no. It was my pleasure. I enjoyed your company, and your mechanical insight" as Alex walked over to the elevator he spotted Tali, and held the elevator open for her.  
"Why thank you, Lt. King" Alex smiled and they rode to the Combat Information Center (CIC) in silence. Once they got to the Galaxy map Shepard motioned for them to follow her to the Com room.  
"We've taken some times, and a lot of resources to try and find our next lead. Our main mission is to find and stop Saren from destroying humanity. We've gotten word that Matriarch Benezia's daughter, Liara T'Soni, a Prothean expert is at a dig site, and we need to get her. We've found her site, and we leave in two hours. Any questions" Shepard placed his hands behind his back and looked between Alex and Tali.  
"Wait…Matriarch Benezia is working for Saren, right? Can we trust her daughter?" Tali seemed to be a little worried to Alex, she was rubbing her hands together again, and seemed tense.  
"Yes. If not, we can at least take out another ally of Saren's" Alex nodded, "Be ready in two hours, on the hour" Shepard walked off without much more information than that. Alex looked at Tali and shrugged, then walked over to the elevator where he could get to his locker, when he was stopped by an older womanly voice.  
"Lt. King? I was wondering if you could come with me before your mission. I'm doctor Karin Chakwas. The Medical Bay's doctor" Alex nodded slowly and followed the doctor. "I know you don't have that much time. But I went through your medical records…" once they got into the medical bay she looked at him. "I've…gone through your medical history…does the commander know about your first few years?" Alex shook his head.  
"It's classified information. And only trust with those who are sworn never to speak of it. You are one of those people. You know patient doctor confidentiality?" she nodded her head and flipped through.  
"I won't tell anyone unless your life is in danger. But other than that I wish to check your biotic amp before you go on your next mission" Alex nodded and sat in a chair across from her. She stepped closer with a scanning machine to make sure the chip was still working. "Can you give me a demonstration?" he picked up her coffee cup with a small usage of biotics and she nodded. "Seems to be doing fantastic. You were given this implant just a while ago…otherwise you could be stuck with the model Alenko has. They're a lot more dangerous" Alex stood up and went over to the scanning machine she pointed to. "Just close your eyes, this will be done in a few minutes" he laid on the bed with the biotic scanner and closed his eyes.  
An ultraviolet ray scanned his head detecting his brain waves, and seeing if they were normal and responding properly with the biotic amp in his brain. "Do you get headaches from using your powers?" she held a data pad and wrote down the results.  
"Only when I push myself too far, or when lifting heavy items" Dr. Chakwas nodded and the scan was finished, "Thank you for your concern doctor. Most would just ask if I was alright. And then send me on my way. Or be very harsh, and try and get me out quickly. It…may be because of my past, but you're different" he smiled at her, his voice soft and sincere.  
"It was my pleasure to have you. And you're a human being just like the rest of us" she waved him good-bye as he left her office. Alex didn't have enough time for his normal work out, and was slightly off put by that. But instead he did a few stretches, and rested out his biotics in the shuttle bay. Sometimes after a checkup, they would have a slight delay, and his amp sometimes needed to be warmed up before a mission.  
Thirty minutes till launching time Alex went over to his locker, his mind and body at ease after his meditation, and geared up. He took his time and kept his eyes on his gear, never once looking at Wrex to his left and Ashley to his right. He heard at one point that Garrus tried to talk to him, but Ashley told him not to, until Alex went to him.  
Ten minutes to launch Alex was checking his weapons one last time and then looked at Ashley, they made eye contact, nodded and Alex walked over to Garrus. "Did you need something?" his voice was calm, even, and confident.  
"Uh yeah. Good luck out there. Saren's a nasty bastard, but he's a damn good soldier" Alex nodded and received a pat on the shoulder. Alex was waiting for the Commander and Tali to arrive, and in the meantime was having a light conversation with Garrus and Ashley when Tali finally arrived.  
"You work fast" she sounded impressed, "I didn't mean to make you wait. Adam asked if I could get something done before I left" Alex smiled at her and nodded.  
"Ready to go?" Tali nodded and he nodded with her.  
"Sooo…I heard you two share a room. Alone. Male and female. Both rather…young" Alex looked at Garrus and chuckled.  
"Wow Garrus. You just can't seem to help yourself can you?" Alex saw that Tali was looking at the two of them.  
"I just hope I don't have to say that about you" Garrus chuckled as Alex blushed a little. Alex had unknowingly set himself up for that one. Ashley couldn't help but burst into laughter.  
"I would say it's hot in here. But it's just you!" Ashley and Garrus cracked up at the cost of Alex's dignity.  
"I would die if something were to happen" Tali said matter-of-factly, and then turned to ignore them all as Commander Shepard appeared. Ashley and Garrus had stopped laughing, and Alex felt as if someone else had ruined his relationship with the first quarian he had ever met.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tali, Alex, are you two ready to go?" Tali and Alex stepped forward and Garrus got behind the Mako launch terminal saying they were ready to set out. "We'll be dropped off far from the dig site, as to not collapse the underground ruins with the Mako. Therum isn't like earth, Alex, so I hope you have the full helmet packed. Alex nodded, and even proved that he had the full human with the oxygen mask. "Good, Alex I want you on the gun, so get in first. Tali, if you don't mind, I would like you to monitor the barrier, and conditions of the Mako. If anything goes wrong, you can use our supply of omni-gel to make repairs. I'll be driving" Alex had already gotten into the Mako by the time Shepard was done, and Tali was right behind him.  
As the Mako made a rough landing on the volcanic, lava-river Therum, Alex heard Tali softly cry out, "Keelah" as they jostled around the Mako.  
"Smooth Commander, no sarcasm, I had a Staff Lieutenant land so roughly I had to get out and repair the transmission" Alex, and Shepard laughed, and Tali seemed to shake her head, and sigh.  
"Do humans not think about how that can hinder the mission, and more importantly the group?" she seemed to be slightly off put by the fact that they were more reckless than quarians.  
"We…don't have the stresses quarians do, when it comes to such things…but I, personally, shall try to be less reckless" Tali looked at him, and he couldn't tell if she was smiling or glaring at him.  
"I'll keep you to your word" she seemed to use it as a playful challenge, which helped him determine that she wasn't mad at him.  
"Two bogies dead ahead, geth, Alex take them out with the machine gun" Alex replied by firing off the gun. He was able to take them out before the rest of the group came into view. "Keep firing. I'll tell you when I'm moving the Mako to avoid rockets" after that Shepard moved the Mako to the left and when he stopped moving Alex started to fire again. They were small targets that liked to hide behind cover that they made, and not to mention Shepard was moving the Mako constantly. There were warnings, but it still threw off Alex.

"Boogies dead, we can move out" Shepard nodded and started to move the Mako again. It was a stop and go process, for about an hour, geth just seeming to pour out of the mountainous region. This gave Alex a chance to actually see what his commanding officer was like, and his roommate as well.  
Shepard's armor was standard issue uniform for an officer, but with a little personal flare. He had and red stipe down his right arm bordered by two white lines, Alex liked it a lot. It was like Ashley's suit, out there, and stare worthy, but eye catching, and easy to remember. Shepard smiled, from time to time, but his normal facial expression made it look as if he was constantly pissed.  
Alex hoped that if he got to Shepard's position he wasn't constantly frowning. He hoped that as time went by he was proven wrong, and Shepard loosened up a bit. It was hard, with Saren on your back, two deaths, and now commanding a ship. Alex respected the man that sat two seats before him, and would wish to live up to his achievements.  
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was constantly wearing her beautiful environmental suit. Her hood was slender, and made her look taller to Alex. Her helmet was a purple that was hard to see through, so no one really knew exactly what she looked like. Her suit was designed so that it looked like it layered, when none of it really came off. Something that caught his eyes was the design of the arms. One looked like part of the suit, and the other one looked like she installed to help with something. She may have just done that, seeing's how that's the arm with her omni-tool on it.  
Lost in his thoughts Alex was looked around the inside of the Mako, instead of outside the Mako. The Mako rumbled as they were attacked from the side, where the road make a U-turn, and geth were on the other side. "Dammit Alex!" Alex blinked and looked at the geth.  
"It's nothing serious, our shields dropped by nine percent" Tali responded as Alex started to mow down the geth.  
"Geth Armature!" Alex started to launch rockets now, their ammunition prepared for such a battle. "Shepard, move! Their Siege Pulse Cannon shuts down all systems for a few moments when shot!" Shepard started to move faster as they were just barely mission by a cannon shot. It took Alex two rockets, and a few round of bullets to take out the Armature.  
"Have you faced geth before Alex? Most people wouldn't know that" Tali turned a little in her seat and tilted her head a little.  
"Well there was this class in history, were we studied the quarian race. And it went deeply into what happened with the geth. I never did like hearing those stories" he shook his head and Tali just turned around not saying or doing anything that gave him a hint as to what she was doing.  
"We're getting close to the dig site. The geth know we're here, there will probably be heavy resistance. Alex be on guard, and you are free to use the rockets at will" Alex moved his eyes back to the sensor and watched for any movement. As soon as Shepard said the dig site was in sight, the sensor went ballistic.  
"We've got…one…three…seven…ten boogies, and an Armature, Commander. Starting attack" he pulled up the controls to firing the gun and started to just shred through the geth forced. He wasn't able to see the cannon's shot coming towards them, the sensor only telling him where the enemy was.  
The Mako shuddered and the systems started to sputter as the lights flickered on and off. Then the Mako went silent and dark, "Keelah!" Tali frantically tried to get systems online, but to no avail. The Mako rocked from the impact of all the bullets and rockets being launched at them. The area Alex was in was starting to cave in slightly from a rocket's explosion.  
Luckily when the geth were reloading the Mako came online, and Alex launched several rockets into the area. "I hope the dig site can handle so many explosions" he said to Shepard as he watched the last little dot died down and sighed. "All boogies have gone dark" and with that the Mako started up. It would take them a few minutes to get there, seeing's how the Mako's driving systems were still getting adjusted.  
"Alex I have a project for you. Can you and Garrus, or just you, or whatever you want to do. I just want it done before the next mission. The Mako's driving system is electronic. I want this like an old car from the 2,000 era. When cars didn't fly, I want it to be started by a battery, but powered by something else. Gas if you need it, but I want it to be something ecofriendly and easy to find, and cheap" as they rolled up to the dig site entrance Shepard looked around.  
"It's so…quite. I feel like we're going into a trap Shepard" Tali was looking around on her section of radars, and sounded very worried. Shepard opened the Mako up, hopped out, and silently motioned for them to follow. Tali was silent, along with Alex as they moved slowly to the entrance. As Shepard and Tali walked forward, Alex took up the back and walked backwards, and even stumbled into Tali. He gave her an apologetic look, but said not a word, he didn't want to blow their cover.  
"Two geth, twelve and eleven o'clock. Alex watch our backs, and Tali get ready to cover me" he waited until everyone was behind cover, and sniped the first geth. The second one dropped behind cover and Tali took the second geth out with her pistol. "Let's move" Shepard raised his voice this time, their cover was already blown.  
Alex continued to watch they're rear, and after roughly twenty minutes of nothing he turned around, keeping his ears open to anything behind them.  
Walking down the aisle they found an elevator, "We find Dr. Liara T'Soni, and get out of here" Shepard had put his Hammer sniper rifle away and was now using his Lancer assault rifle. Tali was using a Kessler pistol, and a Hurricane shotgun. Alex was also using a Lancer assault rifle, and a Cerberus SMG. SMG's usually aren't given to Alliance, but Alex proved so efficient with it they made sure to give him one, and would update him every time he asked for one.  
After taking the elevator down two floors the tunnels start to shake and the elevator breaks down and they jump to the next level. They all made small comments, Tali with her 'Keelah' Shepard and Alex with curse words, but everyone was uninjured. The path way forward was partly destroyed and they would have to carefully jump down. "Alex I want you going first your biotics will come in use" Tali looked at Alex and made a 'hm' noise as one of his talents was not something he liked to tell everyone.  
"Yes sir" he jumped down and watched as the platform dropped and he started to fall. He could hear Tali gasp, and then his face became hard with concentration as he raised his arms, two long blue lights extended from his arms and grabbed onto the platform that was still intact. He pulled himself up swiftly and landed lightly on his feet, then turn and waved them over. "Sturdy enough, but we need to be swift" they jumped and Alex grasped Tali's hand and she looked at him and bowed her head slightly.  
Stopping once more to take out a few geth, and Alex got sloppy. He stood too long and let his assault rifle overheat, and nearly exploded in his hands. To top it off, a geth stuck a red hot bullet into his left shoulder, causing Alex to roar in agony. Dropping to his knees he waited until the firefight was over to check out his wound.  
"Ah…Commander, I'm hit" he winced as he saw blood was starting to flow out from the wound and over his armor. Shepard came forward with a medi-gel and filled the hole. Medi-gel was a foam that closed the hole, or cut, and applied pain killers to all living creatures. He watched as the foam expanded, creating an air-tight seal, and sighed in relief as the pain washed away. "Thanks" Shepard nodded and saw there weren't any more geth.  
Shepard gave him a few moments to regain his strength while he went out to scout ahead. Tali came to his side and gently touched his left arm, "It's not bothering you is it?" she seemed concerned for his health, and that made him smile, although his helmet made that impossible to see.  
"I can handle it, thank you for the concern" he watched as she stood, still looking at him and started to play with her three fingers, rubbing them in what seemed to be a nervous fashion. Then Tali just walked away, her steps silent against the platform as she went after Shepard.  
"Well now I'm really confused…" Alex mumbled to himself as he stood with a groan. He picked up his, now cooled off, gun and followed.  
"There you are, let's go" they followed the tiny footsteps they saw on the ground, the ones that looked like human instead of geth. "She should be this way" a few minutes after Shepard said that they found a figure suspended in midair with what seemed to be a Prothean holding cell.  
"Please. Is someone there! Help! Please! I'm Dr. T'Soni" Shepard looked at the other two and sprinted off to where she was.  
"Dr. T'Soni, I'm Alliance Military Commander Shepard. What can we do to set you free, Doctor?" he looked around and touched the force field that stopped them from getting close.  
"Well when the geth attacked I thought I would be safe by putting up with barrier. But I must have pushed from wrong and now I'm here. I think there's a terminal behind me that is the main control. If you can get to it somehow, we can get out of here" Shepard nodded and turned back.  
"I saw a drill on the way here, it's clearly broken though. I can try and get it fixed and then we can drill our way through the back" Shepard told him to get on it, and Alex ran over to the drill. Tali was right on his tail and was starting to gain on him, when they were neck and neck she looked at him and took off. Alex could see the challenge in her eyes and chased after her, just barely beating her to the drill.  
"Good race" he was clearly out of breath and then jumped onto the drill looking through the systems. "Tali, I need your hel-" he was interrupted when Tali said, "I know" he looked at her and chuckled. Nodding they worked together to get the electrical system up and working again. Working together they were able to get it done by the time Shepard walked over to the drill.  
"Good, now Alex drive it…right…here" he pointed to a spot where he thought the floor would be weakest. Alex did so and watched as the drill was eaten by the hole, and was barely able to jump out of the way. They had made a tunnel, and from where they were could see some light at the other end.  
Heading into the tunnel it took them straight to the controls it told her about, and Shepard activated it, sending them up to the doctor. "Oh wonderful, you found it. But…what was that big explosion?" she wasn't able to turn her head too much so it was hard to hear her.  
"We're getting you out, Doctor" Shepard went to the terminal that was next to Liara and watched as she dropped to her knees, slight surprise on her face. She stood and dusted herself off as her and Shepard talked about her joining the Normandy.  
They walked started to walk out and get out of there when a group of geth came forward along with a krogan. "Thanks for freeing the doctor. Now hand her over" the krogan's voice was deep and raspy like he had something constantly in his throat. Before Shepard could say anything the ruins shook and the group nearly fell on their asses.  
"We don't have time for this the whole ruin is about to collapse" instead of agreeing the krogan fired at Shepard and then snarled. Alex had expected this and put up a barrier around the group. He took down the barrier and pulled out it assault rifle opening fire while everyone else took cover. As soon as he stopped firing and the geth and krogan started to shot he put up his barrier. Rushing back to cover he was gasping for air, his biotic amp being used more than usual. On a normal mission he used the shield almost never, but in just one mission he had used it twice, and even used his biotic lash.  
"We need to get out of here!" Alex called out as the ceiling started to fall near him and Tali. They easily took out the geth, but the krogan was able to regenerate his health. The floor was starting to fall around them and Alex took charge. Literally. He charged the krogan and knocked him off the platform as they tumbled down, hitting the rock wall as they rolled to the bottom floor. It was a nearly three story drop, and fortunately the krogan hit the ground first. Alex was just barely able to get his pistol out when the krogan head butted him. He nearly blacked out, and fumbled for the pistol.  
The krogan got it and smiled, his short sharp teeth gleaming in the low light. The ruins were still shaking, and Alex's head was spinning, and he nearly hurled in front of the krogan. "Sorry. But you're just not strong enough to take me out" he started to pull the trigger when some rubble fell and pushed him to the ground, trapping his leg. Alex took this chance to get up and start to run for the exit, his helmet's communications were destroyed from the head butt so Alex had to get out on his own.  
Hearing the krogan roar in pain and anger, Alex wasn't able to hear the gun being fired. He saw the first bullet pass his head, then the next one knick his hand, then the last on bury itself into his right thigh. Alex grunted in pain and tried to run but was not able to. He could see the exit, but the pain was blurring his vision making several exits. The path behind him was closing swiftly and he limped to the exit. He could feel the room getting smaller and small as he struggled to stay awake.  
As a last effort struggle Alex mustered all his strength and biotic charged out of the tunnel, his body flying through with little grace. He landed with a hard thud in the sun and looked up, his eyes then rolled into the back of his head as the Normandy flew in front of the sun. He could hear things around him, disoriented and buzzed. At one point he could pull a tugging at his neck and then saw a bright light, he let out a weak groan and tried to move. After that point it was all what he thought was a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

He was walking through the darkness, his armor on, and his tool bag slumped over his shoulder. A drill towered over him and he looked at his data pad, 'Fix the drill. –Shepard' he knew that job would be too big, and looked around for Tali. He called her name, it echoed through the darkness. No one came nor said anything as the drill started to get smaller and smaller. Behind the drill right before it disappeared a purple haze came, and two lights seemed to look straight at him.  
After that Alex started to open his eyes, the lights dull and easy for him to adjust to. He saw the ceiling of a room, some of the panels were different colors, and he remembered it was to help workers find the hub for all the wire's connections. He was glad he could remember that, although his head ached and throbbed. "You can come up now, I think he's waking up" Alex could hear a female voice walking softly over to his right. He groaned and saw Dr. Chakwas walk over and looked over him, "Don't try to sit up. You'll get dizzy and pass out. Are you thirsty? Hungry? I can get you something while you relax" there was clear happiness in her voice, but it was a toned down version, one that comes with years of experience.  
Alex took a few moments to answer, "Water…would be…wonderful" he gave her a small smile and watched as she left. His tongue felt bloated, and heavy, and his mouth was hard to moved, a thick substance gathering around his tongue. He went against the doctor's orders and slowly sat up just as he heard to door open. "Sorry doc…" he looked over slowly and saw Tali standing in the door way.  
"Oh…uh. I was worried about you. And wanted to thank you…so I've been visiting. You've been out for twenty-four hours. We…I was starting to get worried" she stepped forward, as she played with her fingers. "Oh, I'm babbling now. I should stop, your head probably hurt, it looks like it hurts. You've probably got a headache and want to be left alone. I should be going now" she started to turn to leave.  
"Whoa…wait. You…were worried? I didn't mean to worry you" Alex's words were slow and hard to create, his head getting hot and starting to throb faster. She saw that he was straining to talk and saw that Dr. Chakwas had cooling clothes set up for when he was getting warm.  
"H- Here" she gently touched his uninjured shoulder, pushing him back into the bed, and placed a cloth on his forehead. "You're…burning up. You should relax, where's the doctor?" she looked around, her voice low and a little shy.  
"Getting me some water, and thank you" he smiled at her and noticed that the pain was starting to concentrate in a line over his right eye, his left shoulder, and the back of his right thigh. "Man…I really got beat up…damn krogan" he groaned again and touched his shoulder. It was starting to heal, the wound was starting to scab over, along with his thigh that he had a hard time reaching. "What happened? All I remember was the Normandy pulling up" he looked at Tali who had taken a seat at his bed side.  
Tali explained that they were able to get out of the ruins with a few scratches. They would've missed Alex if Joker hadn't radioed in to say he saw a biotic launch out from a second opening to the ruins. The doctor was able to patch him back, and the crew was waiting for him to get enough strength to get up and have a group meeting.  
Slowly, and shakily Alex sat up and started to get off the bed, placing the cooling clothe back down on the tray next to his bed. Hanging his legs over the side of the bed caused him great amounts of pain, and he had to pause for a moment. When he was ready to move against Dr. Chakwas walked in with his water and seemed to be expecting to see him like this.  
"You're not going to just lie there forever, I know. But can you at least drink this and take some pain killers?" Alex nodded and downed the water with a few swigs. Them he allowed Dr. Chakwas to insert a needle into his left thigh to apply the painkillers. He allowed for the meds to take action before he tried to stand, Tali ready to grasp him and help him out. Standing he felt confident and started to walk, then his right leg started to weaken. Tali grasped his right arm and slung it around her shoulders.  
"I'm here to help" he looked at her and smiled, using her for support. "Tell the Commander that we're ready for the meeting" Dr. Chakwas nodded and spoke into the microphone. By the time they got to the stairs agonizing pain was shooting through Alex's leg. "Can't you use your biotics?" Tali could see the agony on his face, and clearly wanted to help him.  
"Yeah…just not too much. I'll see if I can take the pressure off your shoulders" he used his biotics to help take some of the gravity off his right leg and it helped him tremendously. As they went up what Alex thought were to be a never ending stair well, they weren't able to talk, both breathing heavily. Finally at the top Alex looked at Tali and gave her a giant white toothed smile, Tali laughed lightly and let him go.  
Alex was grateful that she let him go, he wanted to preserve what little dignity he had left. Walking through the door everyone looked at them, and Wrex stood. "Ho ho! You took a head butt from a fully grown krogan? And all you got was that little cut?" Alex guessed that someone forgot to mention that he had his helmet on, but Alex wasn't about to. Wrex walked up and held out his left hand, and Alex accepted with his left hand. Wrex gripped hard and shook his hand violently, and to Alex's luck, just a few times.  
"And you shake my hand with an injured shoulder!" he chuckled with this loud, deep, krogan like voice. He patted him on his uninjured shoulder and smiled, "I like you already, Alex King" Alex smiled and Wrex went back to his seat. Alex looked at Tali, and shrugged, his shoulder throbbing already again.  
Taking their seats the meeting began, and Shepard looked straight at Alex. There was a stern look, then smiled at him, "First you take a bullet to the shoulder, then you wrestle with a krogan, take a shot to the head, and then a second bullet to the leg. And then a few minutes after you wake up your ready to go. I like that. Keep up the good work, and I'm ordering you to rest for a day before you think about doing something" the group nodded and Alex smiled sheepishly.  
"I also wanted to thank you for endangering your life to help us get out" Liara was an asari, and she looked to be quite young, but with asari, who lived for a thousand years plus, you never really knew.  
"It was my pleasure. Other's safety is why I go on these dangerous missions" Liara smiled and Shepard started the meaning.  
Liara and Shepard started talking about the Protheans, and what Liara was doing, and even found out Liara's age, which Ashley said, "Damn, I hope I look that good when I'm that old" and it seemed to lighten the mood a little. After a few minutes of back and forth Ashley was starting to get anxious. She was moving around in her chair a lot, and her face was starting to show boredom.  
"So…how does a Prothean expert help us find Saren, no offense" Ashley was leaning forward in her chair, her elbows on her knees. Everyone looked at her and seemed to agree, then Shepard took charge.  
"We know that the Conduit is linked to Prothean technology, so we needed a Prothean expert" Shepard was standing while everyone else was sitting, and looked more commanding that way.  
"Yes, we may need a Prothean expert Commander, but can we not drive the Normandy into molten sulfur? It tends to fry out systems, and melt our hull" Alex smiled at that and Liara looked a little off put by his comment.  
"We almost died out there, and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara rubbed her thighs and looked around, her gaze pausing on Alex for a little bit longer.  
Shepard seemed to chuckled, "He's just trying to let off a little stress" Liara looked oven more confused and looked around once again.  
"It must be a human thing then. I guess. I don't have much experience with your species, Commander. But I can help with the Conduit in whatever way I can" she stood and got a wobbled a little, touching her head. "Excuse me, I'm just a little light-headed. And the news about the Reapers…is well…overwhelming. I've been searching for years, and to just have a solution like tha- oh" she wobbled again and Shepard grabbed her arm.  
Alenko leaned forward, "Liara, when was the last time you ate, last time you slept? You should go see doctor Chakwas" Liara nodded and looked at the Commander.  
"Oh, and there's a little room behind the med bay, with lots of plug in terminals if you need them for researching" Liara smiled at him.  
"Yes, you should go do that Liara. We can really use your help. Everyone else is dismissed" Alex stood up and felt a surge of energy go through him. He looked at Tali, and she waited with him to get down the stairs. Inwardly he was beaming with happiness at her deep concern for his health, but outwardly he was showing mild happiness.  
To Alex's surprise he was able to get down the stairs on his own, and felt a lot better them on the way up. He even felt like getting to work on the Mako. "Thank you for everything, Tali" he wanted to express his gratitude in a better way, but did not wish to pass any boundaries.  
"You're welcome, Alex. You're my first friend on this ship, and my roommate. I don't wish to see you in pain" she did her nervous hand motions, and Alex smiled once more. By the time they got to the room, Alex went straight for his tools. Tali gripped his good shoulder hard and he turned, "You were ordered to rest for at least a day. I know you want to get to work on the Mako. I know exactly how you feel, but I won't let you go" her voice was stern, and Alex stood shocked by her determination to keep him there. "For me, at least twelve hours? I'm tired so I'm going to sleep as well. I want to be able to trust you enough to have you stay in bed.  
Alex was taken aback by her words and the smiled, "Alright Tali. But only for you" he placed the bag down and felt his body enjoy the chance to relax. He went to his head, then set an alarm clock to ten hours. "I promise to sleep for this long, and then do some light stretches for two hours" Tali's eyes narrowed behind her purple face mask, then sighed and nodded. She climbed to her top bunk and Alex passed out on his bottom bunk within a few minutes.  
Alex woke up a few minutes before his alarm clock went off like usual. But to his surprise Tali was up and looking at herself in the mirror. Alex allowed himself to stare and as seemed to be cleaning her mask, while it was still on, and looking for any rips. "Is everything okay?" Alex's voice was thick and sounded like a frogs croak.  
"Oh. You're awake…I didn't mean to wake yo- ACHOO!" Tali sneezed and nearly fell over from the full body tremor. Alex stood swiftly, and stumbled over to Tali's side, gently grasping her arm.  
"Hey are you alright? You're not…sick are you?" she nodded a yes but he still looked deeply concerned.  
"I…took off my mask while you were asleep to clean it and…I guess I wasn't as fast as I thought" she coughed and seemed to grow weaker. "I have to go this every once and a while. Not too often, but still very dangerous" she cleared her throat and stood tall. "I'm well enough to work don't worry" she placed a hand on his arm and they paused just looking at each other.  
Alex broke away first as he heard something start to open the door, it was Shepard coming to check on him. "Good…you're awake. I wanted to make sure you were resting. And I see you two are getting along well?" they both nodded, and Alex even allowed a small smile.  
"Commander, I know I'm disobeying a direct order, but that's only so I can obey another order. You told me to rest for twenty-four hours, and that's something I can do. But that's something that affects me, and almost only me. When I could be fixing the Mako, saving lives, and doing something to keep my mind off the pain. Sir, I don't mean to disrespect you, but I'm going to fix the Mako" Lt. Alex stood firm in front of Shepard despite his growing fear of punishment, and the staggering pain of his wounds.  
Commander Shepard's face was still as stone, and it stayed like that during the awkward silence for a few moments. Then Shepard gave him a small smile, "You're one tough bastard, aren't you? Fine. I'm allowing this, only because you're still following one order. And I thank you for at least resting for a bit. Get to work, and I want someone to help you with it" Alex nodded and picked up his tool bag as he watched Tali and Shepard leaving talking about engine repairs and upgrades.  
Alex staggered over to the Mako, where Garrus was like usual. "Ten hours after waking up from a battle and he's already getting the work. Great, but I heard that you're going to need help" Garrus's attitude was calm and collect. He liked to put a little emphasis on certain words that gave his voice a certain suave.  
Alex set his bag down, "So I guess you know what we're going to do?" Garrus chuckled and lifted the Mako up with a lift. They got under looking at the system, "I've already gotten an idea. We modify this power outlet, and use the fuel injection we worked on the other day to start using oxygen to power the Mako" Garrus nodded and they got to the one the modification of the Mako.  
As they worked a few days' time had passed, with Alex and Garrus resting for only a few hours. By the time it was announced that they were at the Citadel to refuel Alex was exhausted. "Good, we've been needing some spare fuel tanks that are airtight, I'll go search for that. Can you go get some tools?" Garrus was itching to get off the Normandy, and he knew the best chance was to pretend to be only getting supplies.  
"Alright Garrus. I'll get the tools. Go tell the Commander" Garrus chuckled and walked off to tell him. Ashley walked up to Alex and smiled at him.  
"Well Trooper, you're doing quite well. When you were with me back on the Concord I knew you would be very useful. But…you're a friend too, so don't get yourself kill" she seemed to be having a hard time with her words. Alex had found out over the past two weeks that Ashley loved to quote poets. "Oh…if you're going to the Citadel, can you get me something? I'll transfer the credits to your account" and without Alex even agreeing she smiling, "Yeah I need some gun parts. Just the usual. Cryo bullets, inferno bullets, oh and five scopes" she smiled at him and transferred the list over to his omni-tool. Alex chuckled, shook his head, and watched as Ashley went back to her post.  
Seeing's how he already had someone's little chore list he walked around the Engineering level and asked Tali and Wrex if they needed anything. Both said no, so he went to the CIC level. Alenko didn't need anything either, and Joker avoided his question with a joke. Finally he went to Liara, "Hey…hope I'm not bothering you" he stood in the doorway and made sure he wasn't intruding.  
"Lieutenant, it's a pleasure to see you. Please come it" she stood and motioned for Alex to enter, which he did. "I wanted to thank you properly for risking your life, I know it probably wasn't for me, but I still wished to thank you" Alex smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.  
"Well I did that to keep everyone safe, even you. I mean, if something were to happen I would never let myself live it down" Liara nodded slowly, trying to fully understand. "But you're most welcome. It's a pleasure to have an expert like yourself on the ship" Liara smiled and laughed a little.  
"Why thank you, Lieutenant. I'm glad to have a mechanical expert on this voyage. I have a tendency to…well…mess things up" Alex nodded and laughed a little.  
"Yeah it seems like I'll be plenty busy with everything around here, so you don't have to worry about anything. I'll keep this ship in top performance. But uh…is there anything I can get you anything while I'm on the Citadel?" Liara seemed to be quite happy with his question and looked at her computer.  
"I'm really needing a wire…I don't remember what it's called. But it connects my computer to the terminal while using very low power. Seeing's how I may have more than one computer hooked up. I'll send you the estimated amount of credits to your account" Alex nodded and watched as the money poured in. Alex knew exactly what she was talking about, and was thinking about spending a couple of extra credits for a few extra cables.  
As he walked out of the Med Bay he saw Garrus and the Commander, he saluted and was greeted with a friendly nod. "Sir…while on the Citadel I know you'll probably be busy, is there anything I can pick up for you?" the Commander shook his head no, and gave Alex his pass to get off the ship and onto the Citadel.  
Leaving the Normandy felt like leaving home, and entering a new and wondrous world. He smiled and walked out of the dock, his pistol and other weapons left back on the ship. It was hard to find the shops; they were underneath the rest of the major areas like C-Sec. It was a super store, where they had a little bit of everything.  
He was able to easily get what Ashley and Liara wanted, and what the Mako needed. He still had a few hours to spare so he looked around and saw something that caught his eye. It was an herbal immune system booster for quarian. The clerk saw he was eyeing it and shoved it into his arms. "Take it. We haven't seen quarians here for months. And I'm going to get in trouble for not getting rid of it. It's about to expire, please just take it" the human was looking around nervously.  
"Whoa whoa. Why? It's about to expire yes, but…why's that so worrisome?" the clerk looked at him like he was mentally insane.  
"If it's not digested by a quarian then it explodes and causes the area to smell like varren shit for months. MONTHS. And if that happens to my shop, I'll go bankrupt. I saw a quarian with a bloody arm, so I got this. My mistake!" he then looked around and shoved Alex off.  
After that ordeal Alex made his way back to the ship, all his stuff in a box. He went to each location and dropped off the stuff, getting a thank you kiss from Liara. That surprised him, but then he remembered the asari were more open sexually, and physically. He accepted the kiss with a nervous smile and was on his way. Ashley wasn't in the Shuttle bay so he just dropped off the stuff Garrus needed, and would store the rest of the stuff in his room.  
Alex walked into the room and saw that Tali was there looking at something over at the desk. "Oh. You're back, I'm glad" she stood and looked at him, and then into his box. On the top was the herbal immune system booster for quarians, and that caught Tali's eyes. "Why do you have this? Wait…this is stolen merchandise from the Flotilla! I got an email from the Flotilla to look out for stolen medical goods! A convoy ship was taken by pirates and killed every quarian on the ship!" Tali was starting to yell at that point and grabbed Alex by the front of his shirt. "Where. Did. You. Get. This?" she was practically snarling at him.  
"Tali calm down. I was at the store on the Citadel, and this guy said it was about to expire, and smell up the whole area. I don't know much about quarians so I took it, and thought I would give it to you as a gift before it expired. I had no idea it was stolen! I'll pay the Flotilla for however much I can afford of the stolen goods. Promise" he watched as she started to relax, and her shoulders start to slump.  
"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I…overreacted, you were just trying to do something nice and I was…a jerk. I'm sorry. And you don't have to do that if you don't want to. But…if you did…I would be grateful. I don't really have the money. But I can pay you back…somehow" she touched his injured shoulder gently, and looked for any painful reaction. She sighed and sat on his bunk, looking at the herbs. She popped open the container and the little circle that blinked every time she talked opened and Tali inserted the pill.  
Alex stood there and rudely stared, then looked away swiftly when Tali turned her head his direction. "This should help my illness. Thank you" she placed the container on the desk and walked out of the room. Alex placed the stuff in the corner of the room by the maintenance shaft.  
The rest of the day went by without any events while Alex and Garrus finished the last part of the Mako. They finished just in time for Commander Shepard to call everyone combat ready to a meeting. After a few minutes they all met by the galaxy map and Liara seemed surprised to see Alex there. "Aren't you still injured?" Alex shook his head and told her that his wounds were closing over. He would be fine for combat.  
"Alright. We're going to see why geth are attacking the planet. I would like to have a biotic, and a tech with me. And I don't want to use the same people every time unless I have to. Who's willing to come?" Alex raised his hand along with Liara, Garrus, and Tali. "Garrus, your sharp shooter skills will come in handy. I really don't want to do this to you Alex, but you're coming. Your mechanical and biotics are a two in one I can't go without. Now, get ready, we'll be there in a few hours" and with that Alex was off to get battle ready, again.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex was worried about not getting his work out ritual done, and get injured again. Every time he's forced to skip it, he ends up wounded, or something goes horribly wrong. So, he went to do an extra-long work out. Instead of an hour he would shot for two hours. Allowing him to eat a quick meal before he left. His meal sitting safely in his stomach, and roughly two and a half hours left, Alex went to go talk to Garrus.  
"What do you think we'll run into?" Garrus whipped his hands with a cloth after making a few personal tweaks to the Mako.  
"I don't know. I've seen some strange things while investigating Saren while with C-Sec. But…we'll know when we get there. And I can't wait to work with you. Heard your biotics are unique" Alex chuckled and they both stood there and talked about the Mako for a few more minutes. Then it got more personal and they started to talk about where they grew up, and what life was like.  
Alex was glad to talk with Garrus, they were getting along well, and he didn't feel as alone on the ship. He walked over to Ashley and she seemed to be ignoring him. "Ash…" she looked at him swiftly and then looked back at the assault rifle she was working on. He placed a hand over her arm to stop her, "Ash. I wanted to say good bye before I went off on my mission. Come on, we've been through a lot. We're friends right?" Ashley stopped and looked at him.  
"You're my higher up, but…you still act as if I'm your higher up. Is this a joke? Or do you just…respect me?" Ashley seemed to be extremely tired and stressed.  
"I treat you like a friend. You said to do so when we're alone. Well that's not going to happen on this ship. So I act like your friends when the Alliance soldier and workers aren't around. Now then. I'm going to be off in my room working out before the mission. Can you do me a favor and make sure my SMG is working properly?" Ashley sighed and nodded. Then she shouldered Alex out of the way and got to work on his SMG.  
Going to the room he shared with Tali, Alex saw his roommate going through her drawers. "Oh, hello, I'll be out in a minutes" Alex nodded and started by stretching. Tali was curious as to what he was doing and stood there, watching.  
"If you're going to watch, why don't you sit on my bunk?" Tali rubbed her hands together nervously and did just that. She sat with her legs Indian style and continued to play with her hands. He continued with some push up and then looked at Tali wondering why she was watching. He wondered if quarians ever worked out, but they seemed to be more of the brain species, instead of the muscle species like the krogan.  
"I didn't know humans did this. Why are you doing this?" she listened as Alex explained that human muscle was made stronger my straining, slightly ripping, and having them repair with more muscle. He finished off with a few pull-ups, using Tali's top bunk as a pull up bar. When he dropped down he was covered with sweat, and said his good-byes to Tali as he went to show and gear up.  
His shower was quick, but satisfying as he walked over to the shuttle bay and geared up. He was wearing a skin tight thermo suit that kept him cool, and warm, depending on the situation. He slipped on his suit, and then grabbed his newly repaired SMG and his assault rifle. He pulled up his omni-tool for the information on Feros. They were going somewhere that they didn't really need the full helmet. Alex brought the helmet anyways and left the oxygen mask part behind. Alex was ready to go just minutes before Shepard came down. Garrus was always in his suit, and just needed his weapons.  
"So, what's the battle plan Commander? Rush in like maniacs? Sneak in like pansies? Or you know, just walk in" Garrus's voice was like that of a very funny jazz singer. It was a smooth flow, yet had the raspy sound that all turians had.  
Shepard looked at him while they headed to the airlock door, "We're going to just walk in. There's a human colony there. Zhu's Hope, if I remember correctly. They're the ones who have reported the geth attacks. We're to help and try to find out why they're there" they walked by the galaxy map and nodded at Navigator Pressly, who would be in command while Shepard was gone. Heading out of the airlock they readied their weapons and went to the right, the left blocked by boxes.  
"Commander Shepard, we saw your ship land, and Zhu's Hope's leader wishes to speak with you. Please head there immediately" David al Talaqani a resident at Zhu's Hope was talking to the Commander when Alex spotted a group of geth. Before he could say anything they shot a rocket at David, splattering his body all over the place. Alex was stunned, but only long enough to watched the smoke start to settle. He was behind cover in second and pulled out his SMG, opening three round bursts at the geth.  
It was a small group of five, and were wiped out without having to worry about reinforcements. As they progressed forward they took a right, saw were the geth were hiding, then went left. That's where they found the geth stalkers, a special type of geth that were like very agile spider-men. They jumped from wall to fall, shooting at you one moment then jumping away the next. These two however weren't completely alert to their presence. Shepard launched two sticky grenades and then pushed the detonator, killing both the geth with one shot. "Easy to kill, hard to hit" Shepard pointed to the left and they found the entrance to Zhu's Hope.  
As soon as they walked into the entrance they saw barricades up and civilians nervously holding weapons, and aiming them at Shepard, Alex and Garrus. "A very warm welcome, don't you think Shepard?" Garrus chuckled as they walked through, almost everyone seeming to thank them for coming. A female mechanic was working on a power source and trying to get it to work. Alex could see instantly that she needed a battery of some sort. If they could find some Mako batteries or of that type she could be able to convert them and get the power working again.  
They continued forward and through a little portable building and to the right, where they found Zhu's Hope's leader, Fai Den. He was talking to a woman, telling her everything was alright when he noticed Shepard. "Oh thank god. They finally sent soldiers" he was an older Asian descent men, but when they appeared he looked ten years younger.  
"Don't you think you're a little late?" the woman named, Arcelia didn't look as happy to see them. But before their conversation could go any further they appeared in the hallway behind them. "Geth in the tower! Everyone ready your weapons" Arcelia watched as Shepard, Alex, and Garrus stepped forward, looking down their sites and firing on the geth.  
It took a few bullets, but they got it done, Alex almost over heating his SMG, like he did his assault rifle on Therum. But as his bullets went through the geth and into the wall behind him was when he really started to noticed Zhu's Hope. He stopped shooting and looked up and around. They were in this type of Prothean ruin, the walls were all crumbled and broke, vegetation creeping through the cracks.  
Shepard saw him looking around and left him alone, going back to Fai Den to talk and get an idea of what was going on. Garrus stood next to him and looked where Alex was looking, "Eh, not the nicest of places. But it is something to look at" he patted Alex on the back then they both caught up with Shepard.  
"What's the plan Shepard?" Shepard was looking at his omni-tool when they came over and still didn't look up.  
"We're going to do what we came here to do. Deal with the geth problem" Shepard walked forward and headed up the stairs, Alex and Garrus on his heels. They rounded the stairs, which spiraled up the floors and heard screaming. Alex rushed forward while Shepard took cover next to him, Garrus taking Shepard's lead. Colonists were running and screaming for their lives, as they were gunned down from behind.  
Shepard heard the gun fire and gave some of his own back to the geth. Alex charged forward and put up a biotic barrier to check on the colonists. Once he saw that they all had died nearly instantly he looked up and the few remaining geth. Taking the barrier he launched it forward, his arms showing the motion, with great force and knocked them back, sending them all flying. He clenched his hands and pulled them back to his sides as the geth floated there, helpless. Alex was grinding his teeth at the effort as Garrus and Shepard took aim and easily took the geth out.  
As the geth dropped so did Alex, his knees bending at his biotic efforts, "Dammit…" he felt light headed and after a few moments watched as the room stopped spinning. He slowly got to his feet with a little help from Garrus and was ready to go, the biotic amp finally cooling down.  
"Let's get moving if you're alright, Alex" King looked at Shepard with slight surprise, Shepard never really used his first name. "We've been traveling together long enough to be on a first name bases. Call me Jon, or Shepard. Whichever you prefer" Shepard gave Alex a small smile.  
Alex would probably only call him Shepard or Jon when on the Normandy, alone with Shepard, but never in front of anyone outside of the Normandy. It would show that Alex liked Shepard, but didn't really respect his military authority. Or that's how Alex thought of it at least. They started moving out when they came across an elevator, which from the looks of it, wasn't powered.  
"We'll worry about that later, let's go get that signaling device" Shepard moved to the hallway leading left and they ended up going up a few more staircases. They made Alex nervous, the air wasn't right in this place, and the floors were starting to crumble. It was deathly quiet other than the sound of footsteps, echoing off the walls. Clank. Clank. Clank. Alex wasn't afraid of a few geth, or mercs or even varren. It was the possibility of the floor falling, or the building caving in. These elements he couldn't destroy to keep himself from injuries. His biotics were able to pause that, but to him that was like slowing down your own death. It should be quick, and most certainly painless.  
They suddenly came to a slightly more open area. Open, meaning you could see the sky, a water system in the middle of the room, and a passage way to the left. It was close quarters, and had little cover. Just what Alex loved. He was got a thrill from being right in the enemies face, seeing the fear in their eyes. Hoping that fear would drive them into submission, instead of him having to take a life. He also loved hand-to-hand combat, and blades, being able to see your opponents move, not having to dodge bullets, literally.  
Garrus had opened his omni-tool's wifi, trying to pick up any signals coming from the area. "There's a beacon over in that direction. I would say the second walkway" he pointed to a long bridge that connected the left side and the right side over the waterway. They seemed to lead into rooms, and Alex nodded, believing that the geth thought they could hide the beacon in there.  
"Perfect. I want that signal taken down ASAP. Let's go" they moved forward in a combat ready stance, legs slightly spread, gun at the ready, body as hunched and small as possible, making yourself a very hard target to hit.  
They pinned themselves to the walls as soon as they could hear geth firing from down range. They took turns shooting, Shepard, Garrus, Alex, to prevent accidentally shooting each other in the back. The geth did not do this, and the two in the back were starting to mow down the guys in front of them. Once their number dwindled down to three, Shepard and the group took them out with three easy headshots.  
"Let's get out of here before more reinforcements arrive" Shepard started to move out, when Alex saw something flash in the corner of his eye.  
"Shepard, wait, this is the water pump. The geth must've shut it down to wean the colonists out of here. We're already here, and it'll take just a moment to get the going" Alex slid his assault rifle onto his back and knelt in front of the console. He pushed the power button, adjusted pump output and input, made sure there weren't any malfunctions with the pumps, and filters, then started it up. A little pop-screen came on and informed Alex that the other two pumps needed to be active. "Just two more to go" he stood and Shepard nodded. They headed over to the geth beacon and Shepard pulled out his shot gun, gave it three nices shots and backed up a step as it exploded.  
"Let's get the water going. Plus I want to scout the area to make sure there aren't any more geth hanging around" Garrus seemed to be looking around a lot, his mind not exactly on the mission. Alex wasn't going to ask him now, and then watch as Garrus has a mental break down. It happened once, with one of the N7 students, and he was sure it would happen again.  
They crossed the bridge to the left side and instantly found another pump console. Alex crouched once more and turned it one, making sure everything was working and all that stuff. He stood, a whizzing sound went straight past his head and he ducked, rolled, and got to cover. Garrus and Shepard had jumped behind cover and once again, took turns shooting at the geth. For some strange reason everything seemed to slow down for Alex. He could see clearly as the geth's body jolted back from the impact of the bullet. Watched as the geth turned it's head, or pulled the trigger, or peeked from behind cover.  
All this was over in an instant and he was back to the swift pace of a firefight. The seven geth that were in their way were a lot harder to take down. "These are Shock Troopers! Watch out for rocket-" he was rudely interrupted as a rocket flew past them and exploded against the wall behind them. Alex could feel the heat of the explosion through his suit, and didn't like that fact. His suit was thin and not made for extreme conditions, he was going to have to upgrade soon.  
With the explosion behind them, literally, the group moved on further down the pathway until they found the final console, and a man who seemed to be losing his mind. Shepard approached the man while Alex crouched to work on the last panel. Sadly, this one would not be as easy as the other ones. It needs to be restarted, reset, fix a few viruses, and then wait for it to start pumping.  
By the time Shepard was done talking to the shivering man, Alex had gotten almost half way done. Shepard walked toward him and asked how it was coming. "Fine. What's up with him, J-…Shepard?" Alex had a hard time forming Shepard's first name, and instead stuck with his last, instead of Commander, or Sir.  
"I don't really know he seems to not want to move. I'll just leave him here" Shepard grabbed his chin and saw that there was another door right behind them. "Let's check out what's in here. I hear…growling" Alex stood and nodded.  
As Garrus opened the door and instantly a varren pounced onto Shepard, snarling. Garrus saw it instantly and grabbed the varren flinging it against the wall. Alex wasn't able to see what happened after that because he saw three more varren walking out slowly, snarling, and biting at the air. Alex took a few steps back and pulled out his SMG, trying not to set the varren off just yet. Behind him was one of the long skinny bridges, and the varren's shoulders were wide enough to have only two go at once. He started to back up his eyes never leaving the two varren in front of him.  
They snarled, thick fluid starting to string down from their under bite, there completely one colored eyes drilling into his vital points. The spines on their bodies twitched as they slowly took step after step forward.  
Suddenly the largest one pounced, getting about three feet into the air. Alex shot off his assault rifle and watched as the varren's dead body continued to fly towards him. Alex was able to dodge, only to be pounced on by the second varren, the third joining in once Alex his the ground. He took his rifle in both hands, slamming it into the varren's faces. As he did so a few more times, his mind started to black out, going back to a moment he was trying to forget, destroy, remove form his mind.  
Tap. Tap. Tap. Hands slamming on the glass that surrounded him on all sides. Water was filling his lungs, panic starting, not knowing where he was. Tap. Tap. Tap. His hands were starting to bleed, the red liquid swirling around as he shook his fists through the clear fluids. The world became black again, and varren saliva was starting to cover his mask.  
Alex was feeling panicked, and launched a massive biotic blast at the varren, jumped to his feet, and just let his assault rifle's bullets fly. He took out the varren easily and nearly shot off Shepard's head. "S- sorry. Sorry" Shepard looked at him for a moment then walked into the room the varren came from. Alex followed seeing an M29 'Grizzly' rammed through a wall, and wondered what exactly happened here.  
Walking over, his body still shaking, but his suit prevented the other from seeing it, he looked into the engine. "There are…two massive batteries. We can get the power working again. Help them get on their feet again" Alex looked at Shepard who was nodding his approval.  
"You can carry those back then" Shepard gave him a devious smile and Alex sighed with a small smile on his face. Classic Shepard. Alex picked up the batteries after unplugging them and using some of his tools that he always had installed into his suit. He lifted the battery and saw that it wasn't as heavy as he was expecting. He would be able to carry both of them with little effort.  
They walked down the hallways, Shepard in front, followed by Alex, and then Garrus. It seemed to be faster on the way back, they weren't tense because they know all the geth are dead, or very few are left. It wasn't long before they were at the camp again. While Shepard talked to Fai Den about the geth, Garrus talked to the people about the water, and Alex went over to the female engineer working on the power source.  
"If you try and re-route the power to the back-up power supplies it'll last you a week, and take you twenty hours to get there. Here, I found these" Alex put forward the batteries he found and the female mechanic smiled widely and hugged him. He chuckled, patting her back gently, not wanting his armor to hurt her.  
A few years back he did that to a dear friend of his, and nearly broke his hand in a hand shake. It wasn't that the armor gives them extra strength, but it's like having a person's hand squeezed between two thick, heavy, hard stones. That added to the fact that Alex was shaking his friend's hand rather swiftly, adding more force.  
She pulled back, "Man. I would've been working on that power source for, well, as long as you said. Thanks, this will really help Zhu's Hope! Here, take a few credits for your help" she pulled out a small device. It would be considered a dollar bill but it was electrical. He scanned it with his omni-tool and received two hundred credits.  
"Thank you Ma'am. This will help greatly" she barked a laugh. She seemed to be a more macho woman, able to get down and dirty. He liked woman like that, but a more like a woman, and not 'one of the guys'.  
Alex could see that Shepard was talking to Fai Den about the situation, and then watched as a few 'soldiers' were sent out to investigate. "Let's go Alex. I've just found out that we have a nearby ExoGeni corporation building. That might be why the geth are here" Shepard went to Garrus and they headed to the elevator they saw before.  
"You sure we're not heading for a trap? If some were attacking the Normandy, well, what's to say they aren't plotting against us" Alex thought Garrus was right, and nodded his head in agreement. Alex held his gun in his hands and flexed his trigger finger, just barely keeping the gun from firing in the elevator.  
When the doors opened Shepard was nearly killed with a shot to the head. They watched as a rocket flew in a spiral motion towards them. The next thing Alex saw was the ground next to his face as he held his body close to the ground, trying to avoid the explosion. "Open fire!" Shepard jumped up and pulled the trigger at the geth that seemed to jump around like jumping spiders.  
Garrus was more worried about the geth prime, which left Alex with the shock troopers. There were too many to count, and Alex used his biotics to launch the geth back, giving him some breathing room. Round after round, overheating twice, it wasn't until Shepard helped out that Alex was able to take them all down.  
"Get into the Mako. Garrus weapons, Alex driving, and I'll navigate" Alex nodded and got into the Mako last. He pushed power, control, manual, and then grabbed the handles. It was like a helicopter, jet plane, and airplane controls all put together. It was so he could do several things that was never really useful in a battle situation.  
As they drove forward the door opened to the outside world, and the sun shone through the windshield, slightly blinding him. He drove forward half a mile before he watched a rockets swirl past him. "Garrus!" he stopped the Mako, and Shepard assisted him and keeping up the shields.  
Garrus was a pro at shooting down the geth, only two rockets hit the shields. Shepard worked on regenerating them, while Alex started to drive again. It seemed they were stopped almost every half mile, or three quarters of a mile. By the time they heard radio chatter, they had killed seven miles worth of geth.  
"Get away from the radi-" It was clear that the people on the other end were having a fight, and then the signal was lost.  
"They must be near by" Alex nodded and drove the Mako into a little drive in, that led to the upper ExoGeni building. Alex looked to his right and saw a few lights, and could see shadows moving.  
"Shepard. I think I found them" he pushed the open button that opened the side of the Mako, and they stepped out. Readying their weapons they walked down the slightly steep ramp and saw ExoGeni workers arguing. Alex saw that while two were arguing about the female's daughter, the others were busying trying to keep the little cove safe.  
"Who are you!? We didn't ask for any help! Get out!" Ethan Jeong yelled and pointed a pistol at him. Juliana Baynham grabbed his hand and yelled at him, their argument sparking again. Shepard stepped in, "We're not here to look through your documents. We're just here to get rid of the geth" Juliana looked at him and held her hands together.  
"Please! My daughter stayed behind and I haven't heard from her. While you're there will you please look for her?" Shepard nodded, and they left, Ethan starting to yell again. Alex rolled his eyes and let Garrus and Shepard into the Mako. They started off again, climbing two more levels, then stopped, the door way was too small.  
"Let's go" they walked through the door and had to take cover, three geth were waiting and shot at them. Alex pulled the trigger of his assault rifle, and watched as a few bullets missed, but eventually landed hits in the geth's chest.  
Shepard sighed unhappily and looked at Garrus and Alex, "Let's hurry up. I'm done with this place" he seemed to be getting in a worse and worse mood as more and more geth showed up. Alex nodded and they headed to the left, walking up a slight incline. There was rubble blocking the path, and Garrus found another one.  
They jumped down and walked into a room that seemed to have been a driveway for Mako's and other cars like that. To their right they heard a gun click, and then a young woman speak. "Don't shot! I work here, and I was late getting out so now I'm trapped. The geth…I thought they were going to kill me! I'm Lizbeth Baynham, my mother works here too. Please help me get out" Shepard walked over to the girl and nodded, they started to talk about how to get out.  
Alex could hear snarling to his left and watched as Garrus snipped two that were charging from far off. Alex aimed with his assault rifle, shooting down three more varren. Shepard had put himself between a varren and Lizbeth, shooting with his pistol.  
After that little shot out Shepard told Lizbeth to stay here until they could open up a path. She pointed across the room to a set of stairs, Shepard thanking her for the help, and for the worker's card she gave him.  
Heading up the stiars, Alex could hear a krogan yelling at an AI that wasn't answering his questions.  
"DAMMIT! Tell me where I can find the Thorian!" the krogan slammed his fist into the wall.  
"Sorry, but you are not authorized to view such data. If you wish to file a complaint you can send one to the executive offices" the krogan huffed, clearly having enough of it, and went off back up the stairs.  
Shepard stepped up to the VI and it spoke, "Welcome back Lizbeth Baynman. What inquiry do you have today?" Shepard looked at Alex and Garrus than shrugged.  
"Tell me about this…Thorian" Shepard crossed his arms, waiting for the reply.  
"The Thorian is a plant like creature with the ability to spread spores that can control the minds of living creatures" Alex shivered at the thought and was glad he brought his breather.  
"Tell me about the tests that have been done with these…spores" Garrus spoke this time, he seemed concerned.  
"ExoGeni scientists have released spores over the colony Zhu's Hope. Last reports show that 57% of the colony was infected. That was before we lost contact with the colony a week ago" the VI was male, and seemed to answer questions fully, and giving a little more detail, unlike other VIs.  
Shepard felt he had enough information and followed the krogan up the stairs, leading to a few passage ways. There was a purple-ish force field that blocked the way back to the Mako, and a third doorway. The group took the third door way, stepping over views that belonged to the geth, and headed down the stairs.  
Covering the floor, walls, and even the ceiling were coils upon coils upon coils of wires that seemed to be generating something. When they came out of the stairwell, they saw a panel, and a giant geth claw burst through the wall. "Whoa…Seems to be what's supporting the ship to the side of the building. I saw it before we go into the ExoGeni building" Alex looked at him and crossed his arms.  
"Ever thought about sharing that Garrus?" he sounded jokingly mad, and Garrus glared at him and shoved him into the room. There were geth further in and saw Alex stumbling into the room. He was shot at, before he jumped back into the stairwell. "Grenade" he told Shepard and Garrus as he chucked a sticky grenade at the geth. Without even trying it stuck to the bigger one and exploded killing them both.  
"Nice throw" Shepard patted him on the shoulder and stepped down, his walk like that of a very relaxed man. He walked up to the panel, "This isn't connected to the main hub. We can't shut it down…" he looked to his right, and under the claw. Across the room was a large group of geth, possibly ten, and a hub that was set up next to a weapon locker.  
"Go up those stairs Garrus, and get them from above, I'll stay back here, throw a grenade, and then meet you up there. Alex I need you to crawl under the claw and get them from the bottom. Go" Alex nodded and slowly started to crawl under the claw. As soon as he heard Garrus's sniper rifle start to fire he pulled out his SMG and laid down bursts of ammo.  
Shepard's grenade destroyed two of the geth, and knocked over three more. Alex was able to disable those with a few shots to important connections, and then had to crawl back. They had found his hiding place, and he was nearly shot in the face. Once he had pulled back he went up to the stairs were Garrus was now shooting the geth with his assault rifle.  
Shepard had gone done the stairs closer to the geth, and were kicking those that got too close. He was using his pistol, it seemed to be his favorite, and ripped a geth apart with several shots. By then Alex had caught up with John and Garrus, looking around for more enemies. "It looks like we can use that pressure machine to close those doors, and snap off the geth ship" Garrus pointed and told the group.  
Running forward Garrus, Alex, and John looked around the machines, and Garrus was the one to find the controls. "It should be…ah! Got it" with a few clicks he turned around to watch the doors roll up and not have enough power to crunch the ship's support. "Dammit…let's try that…aga- " Garrus cried out as he was shot from behind. Alex turned to see a group of geth rushing towards them, trying to stop Garrus.  
"Switch! Switch!" Alex pushed Garrus behind cover, and used his biotics to create a shield around him while he tried to get the controls to work for him. He watched as his shield shuddered when it was shot at. "Come on! Come on!" he turned and saw that there were more and more geth. He turned back and saw that in his fear he had punched in a random pattern of buttons.  
Why? Why am I like this? I'm…an N7 graduate…the best of the best. The one little boys and girls look up to…I…shouldn't be like this! Alex's mind was reeling as he heard a deafening crunch, and then the building shuddered. He fell to his side as his barrier went down. "Great job Alex!" Shepard grabbed Alex by his shoulder gear, and lifted him to his feet. All the geth were on the floor dead, their connection with the ship severed.  
"Let's get back to Lizbeth, she must be wondering what happened" Garrus put away his gun and lead the way back, Shepard right behind him, and Alex, as usual, taking up the rear. After a few minutes Lizbeth found Shepard in the doorway that was blocked by a geth barrier.  
"There you are! I'm guessing you got rid of the geth ship? Right?" Shepard nodded and the small group headed back to the Mako. Lizbeth was up front with Alex, she overheard her mother's shouting, and the fight on the other end of the radio. "That's my mother!" it seemed to be a cry of joy, and anxiety as she rushed from the Mako, just barely getting out of Shepard's grasp.  
Chasing after her they saw that Ethan had a pistol pointed at Juliana, and Lizbeth tackled him. He backhanded her, his pistol clipping her temple, and she fell to the side, her mother getting close. Alex pulled out his own pistol, along with Shepard and Garrus. "Put the gun down, Ethan. We don't want to hurt you" the man screamed and fired a few shots which missed their heads by a few yards. Alex shot Ethan's hand, and watched as he clutched it with shaking hand.  
Shepard finished the man off by shooting him in the temple, and watched as Juliana helped Lizbeth stand up. "Thank you Commander. He…must've been exposed to the Thorian's poisons. The whole colony was exposed! You have to save them. I think the Thorian is getting…angery" she shivered and handed Alex a grenade modifier. "That's a chemical that will paralyze people affected by the Thorian for a few hours. Please! Hurry!" Alex modified their grenades and went back to the Mako.  
"Shepard! We've got some angry colonists. They're…growling, foaming at the mouth, and clawing at the Normandy! I mean…it won't do any damage. But it's creeping me out Commander!" Joker seemed to keep his jovial tone, when addressing the mad colonists. Shepard explained the Thorian and told Joker not to attack, and to leave them be.  
Back at the colony, they were just outside the doors and Alex got out to open them. He paused when he heard a soft thud on the other side. "Shepard…" he touched the side of his helmet, "You and Garrus should get out here. I think we have company…" he waited for them to come up and get their guns ready before they opened the doors.  
Slowly the door created open, and from the bottom slithered out withered hands. They were ripped, and torn, cracked from dryness, yet covered in slime. Alex watched as creatures with a look in their eyes that reflected what was inside. Nothing.  
They looked dazed by the sunlight, but once their empty eyes focused on a moving creature, they ran over. They leaned forward, their arms stretched out trying to rip at your armor, or skin. Garrus looked at them and barked out a laugh, "These things can't do any damage" and as soon as he finished his sentence they were on him. They ripped and pulled at his armor with alien strength. Their bodies were nothing but skin, and bone, and this unearthly drive to rip out your eyes.  
After Garrus, Shepard and Alex swiftly ripped the creatures from Garrus, killed them, and sighed, they were being rushed at by more. And now that the door was open completely, they were being shot at. "Who the hell is shooting at us? Because they have a clear shot of these…things!" Alex and his comrades were fighting with bullets, and with fists. "Save your ammo" he called out, easily decapitating them with a punch.  
Using limited ammo, a few punches, and the paralyzing grenades, they finally made it into the holding area for vehicles. Walking up to the elevator they saw the defensive position that the shooters were taking. "These…are the colonists!" Shepard rolled one over, looking at Alex nodding.  
"I'm glad I used those grenades…but we have to move on. Let's go" he grabbed their ammo, knowing they wouldn't need it. Going up the elevator they weren't greeted, and proceeded to the main area of the colony. Around a corner, and starting to head down a flight of stairs, the Thorian's slaves came lumbering at them once more.  
Bodies after bodies were flung at them, some tripping on the steps, and other, on nothing. Alex punched, kicked, headbutted, and stomped on them. After a while his arms, boots, and the visor of his helmet ever covered in this fluid he believed to be its blood. "Ew…I can't wait to shower" Garrus looked at him and chuckled.  
"For an N7 graduate, you still seem to be bothered by things, why is that?" Shepard looked at Alex, seeming to stop in place.  
"I…I'll explain back in the Normandy" he walked forward, wondering if he could trust Shepard with his secret. It was only a few moments before they were about to round the corner to the side entrance of the colony when they heard shouting.  
"Ahhhh!", "Blaaaar!" "Ooooo" it was barbaric type shouting. It was like they could use their tongues, but their brains couldn't process what they were trying to say. "It's the people who are being controlled. They're holding up a defense. Alex, throw two paralyzing grenades!".  
Reaching onto the side for them he finally looked, "Sir! We only have three. How much longer do we have?" he shouted over the constant firing of the colonists guns. Shepard cursed and snatched a grenade from Alex, going into the line of fire. He took a shot to the arm, the side of his stomach, and his leg before he tossed the grenade in the middle of the five people firing at him.  
Shepard dropped when one of them threw a grenade of their own, and watched it wiz by him. Shepard's grenade went off, and they dropped as well, the only sound being the mini explosion from their grenade. Alex rushed over to help Shepard up, "Thanks, Lieutenant" they nodded to each other, and filled his wounds with the medi-gel to help him get through the last of the mission.  
They jumped over the barricades, and went to the right, up a few steps, and were mobbed by the creatures, and gunfire once more. Alex saw the colonists and threw their second to last grenade, getting them in the heart of one of their groups. They collapsed, while Alex was now tackled by a husk. He cried out, using his biotics to push it off. Once on his feet he used his biotics again and shoved the 'husks' back with a biotic wave.  
It was a hard battle with the empty beings, using the butts of their weapons to bash in faces, and easily ripping off arms. During the whole thing, Alex was able to get away for a second and use his biotics to launch the last grenade at what he hoped was the last of the colonists. "We're out!" he called back to Shepard, then shot the 'husk' attacking his commander.  
"That looks to be the last of them" when one groaned he stomped on it, ending it's 'life'. "Alex, Garrus, look around and see if you can find out where the Thorian in located. Lizbeth said it was 'under the colony'," Alex nodded and started to look around.  
Garrus walked up to one of the living compartments, and looked at the ground. He saw footprints, and that the compartment was meant to open. "Alex…it looks like this compartment could be our entrance, use your Omni-tool, and scan for it's console" Alex rushed over and did so.  
After finding the switch, and rigging it to open up, they saw that Garrus was right, and the compartment did open. They walked down the stairs into utter darkness. They could tell the walls were close together, because their footsteps echoed loudly around them. Once light was finally flitered through the cracks in the ceiling they came face to face with a creature of immense size.  
The Thorian was leaning on the side, hanging from structures up above. Tentacles hung from its mouth, creating a living curtain. But what scared Alex most, was not the size, the look, or the smell. But the fact that from dropping from its mouth, along with slime that made his nose hurt, was an asari.  
"That thing makes people!?" the asari dropped to her knees, and from her clothing, it was clear that she was meant to look like an asari commando. She stood up strong, as if she was getting out of a chair, and not sliding out of a creatures mouth and pointed at them.  
"You. Humans. You hurt my children. You hurt then, and you slaughtered them. You've come to do the same with me, haven't you?" the asari's mouth opened, but her lips did not move to the words. There seemed to be three voices talking at once. One normal with a vibration to it, one high pitched, and the last like someone was gargling glass, then tried to talk.  
Shepard stepped forward, hand twitching, ready to grab his pistol, "You've been controlling innocent colonists! I won't stand for it. I will stop you" he pulled out his pistol and shot the asari between the eyes. She dropped and as she did, another one came from the Thorian. "They're clones! We need to kill her!".  
Alex had timed the first asari to the birth of the second, "It takes her ten minutes to make another one! We have to hurry and detach her from the ceiling" Alex called as the found the stairs that rounded the circular building. Their boots clanked against the ground, and rounded the top of the stairs, facing a horde of curled up husks.  
Shepard held up his arm, his hand balled into a fist, telling them to stop. He pointed at the 'balls' and took out his pistol slowly. He motioned for them to do the same thing. After that they aimed, shot, and watched as the balls took the bullets. Shepard stomped his foot and blinked, "Why aren't they moving?" he took a step forward, then another, and once he was a yard away from the ball they all seemed to open.  
They jumped, and two grabbed onto Shepard, dragging him down. Alex pulled at the creatures, trying to remove them, while Garrus kept all the others from jumping on Alex as well. "Well! This isn't good. How many connections do we have to sever before she falls!?" Alex finished getting them off, and smashed the last one's head.  
"Curb stomping! Ew!" Alex scrapped the creature's fluids from his boot and Shepard chuckled.  
"Curb…stomping?" Garrus blinked, crossing his arms. "Just…explain your weird human sayings when we get back to the Normandy…and after I shower…for hours" he walked off, the rest following. The found their first connection, and another horde of creatures. They were balled up, and Alex got an idea.  
"If we can throw a sticky grenade, it'll detroy the connection, and give us time to back up. They slow down a bit with big explosions. And I think…" he looked at the Thorian. "..that there are three main connections" he pointed up, and smiled.  
They did as he planned, and threw the grenade, only four sticky grenades left after that, and watched as it disconnected. It landed on a few rolled up husks, and did nothing, until Shepard stepped forward. Luckily he was ready this time, and jumped back, shooting at the three that were trying to claw at his face. There were about fifteen there, allowing them to split it to five each.  
Alex was breathing heavily after that, and looked at Shepard, knowing he was starting to get tired too. "We need to rest, and soon. You even more Alex. Your wounds, even if you won't admit it, are wearing you down" Alex couldn't deny it. His wounds had healed, but he was still slighish.  
"Two more supports" he patted Shepard on the shoulder, and they all stood tall, trying not to look tired. They ran up another flight, and Alex was flung against a wall but a biotic wave. "Commando!" Alex felt his armor crunch in the back. She wasn't holing back, like most do. She was using all her power, and Alex was surprise that his ribs weren't damaged.  
Dropping to his knees he felt hands ripping at his armor. The husks were on him, and he punched, kicked, and shoved them away. He pulled out his assault rifle, and blasted each of the in the torso. Then he saw the asari pick up Garrus, and he used his own biotics to keep Garrus from being crushed.  
"Alex! Get me down! Turian's aren't known for flying without a ship!" Garrus called back, and almost made Alex laugh. Shepard was busy using his assault rifle to push off the creatures before he shoot the asari in the leg. She stumbled, and Alex was able to pulled Garrus to a safe spot. Sweat was rolling down Alex's face, and he was gasping for air. It was hard enough to a hundred pounds, but Garrus was nearly three hundred. Alex was exhausted at this point, and the world was close to spinning.  
Garrus snarled, and sniped the asari commando in the throat, then stomped off. Alex and Shepard looked at each other, and then heard an explosion. The Thorian shook, making the building shiver, making Shepard and Alex chase after Garrus. He was punching and kicking through five creatures, the rest were crushed by the Thorian's support.  
Garrus let out a battle cry, and looked at Shepard, "I'm done with this thing" he walked off, Shepard and Alex hot on his heel. They were heading up the last flight when a hoard of Thorian slaves, taken to the extreme, were stumbling down the stairs. One had fallen, taken down many others. Alex pulled out his SMG and let out short bursts into the piled up bodies.  
When Alex thought that was the last of them he was horribly wrong. The creatures weren't coming, but now asari commandos were approaching. "Back up, and find cover. They can't use their biotics through walls!" he ran back, Shepard and Garrus close behind.  
Alex's face was suddenly parallel to the ground as a commando launched him forward. He continued, leaning forward that way his face wasn't scrapped across the ground. He twisted a little, and was able to roll to cover, his shoulder hitting the ground with a loud thud. He grunted, and stayed in his position, holding his shoulder. "Alex, we can really use your biotics right now!" Garrus looked at him, and hoped he was alright.  
He looked around the edge of his cover, and saw that one asari was already down. There were two more left, and they were assaulting Shepard and Garrus with biotic blasts. Alex held up a wall, and then shoved them back with it, creating an opening for Shepard and Garrus to shoot.  
For some odd reason they were missing left and right. Alex looked at their guns and saw that they were covered in a biotic barrier that forced the bullet to fire off at an angle. He smirked, never thinking of that himself. "Shepard! Garrus! Switch weapons! Yours are affected by biotic barriers at the moment, hurry! Before they get back up" he pushed them down again with another wave.  
Shepard pulled out his pistol, and Garrus his sniper rifle, each taking turns to shot the semi-automatic guns. It took several shots to kill the just one, and then the other one used her body to protect herself. "You're sick I hope you realize that!" Garrus called out.  
"This body is useless. I can clone more if I need too!" the voices came out of her mouth, yet it seemed to come from all over the room.  
"We need to stop this madness!" Shepard moved from behind his cover, and tackled the asari. They rolled on the ground and Garrus tried to get a good shot with this sniper rifle.  
"Dammit I can't get a lock…Shepard!" Alex saw Shepard pull out a pistol and it was slapped away by the asari. She was on top of him now, and started to strangle him, seeming to kill him the instinctual way, instead of the smart way. This allowed Alex to come from behind and put her in a choke hold. She threw him off, and then everything went silent after his armor clanked on the ground.  
Alex was dizzy, and once he was able to stand up, Shepard was by his side helping him. "Let's get that last support" Shepard looked sore from head to toe. He slowed walked to the last support, "Time to die you son of a bitch" he pulled the trigger to his assault rifle and it slowly ripped apart. With a few shudders some parts of the walls feel off and fell to the ground.  
Correction, the Thorian hit the ground, causing massive quakes, and make the floor fall as well. From what Alex could hear it continued to do that until it's presence couldn't seemed to be sensed anymore. "I think…we're good. Maybe…" he pulled out all of their grenades and tossed them down. They exploded, and pieces of rubble were even able to come back up and buzzed past them.  
On the walls of the Thorians domain, were pods, like ones insects would use to hold their young. One bursts, and a green asari fell from the pod. Alex's natural reflexes acted, and he caught her in his arms and looked at her. The asari have always appeared beautiful to him, but her skin color worried him, making him think she was a clone as well.  
After a few heartbeats her eyes fluttered open and she looked at them. "Who…who are you human?" her voice was soft and sweet. No hostility in it at all.  
"You're in the Thorian's cave. Why are you down here?" he replied in a soft voice was well, not wanting to startle her.  
"S…Saren. He…brought me here to translate what the Thorian was saying. I…I was then offered, and he took…took off. He ripped the Thorian off…and it got very very mad" she shivered in his arms.  
"Let's get her out of here. She needs medical attention. Asari only turned green when they were deathly ill, or dealing with mystery issues" she nodded weakly, and he picked her up.  
Shepard held a pistol up to her, "She's not…brainwashed is she?" he was only protecting himself and his squad, which Alex understood.  
"Even if she was Shepard, she's much too weak to do any real damage. Plus if it was the Thorian controlling them, she's free" Shepard nodded and lowered his pistol. He kept a hand on it just in case, and Alex could tell the asari understood why.  
Once they climbed back up through the opening under the colony, they were greated by several tired, and what appeared to be sane colonists. "Commander…we're so sorry" Arcelia and Fai Den walked up to them. "If we had known we were being controlled we would've warned you" she looked at the asari and gasped. "She's not well is she? Layla! Come, take this asari to the medical center" Alex followed, taking her into the med-lab.  
"Thank you Hu…your name?" he placed her on the little medical bed and smiled.  
"Alex King at your service, Miss?" he wondered what her name was.  
"Shiala. I worked for Saren to get the Ciper…to help understand the Beacon from Eden Prime" this sparked Alex's interest. "He betrayed me…and with my mind clear I know that…his ship…indoctrinated me. He's evil…and I was a part of that. I'm going to do whatever I can to…to…try and fix that" Alex nodded, a smile still on his face. He turned as Shepard walked in, "Commander" Shiala bowed her head in respect.  
"Alex. Uh…" he looked at Alex who said her name, "Shiala. What were you doing here? Zhu's Hope could use your help, but I want to know why you were here first" Shiala explained everything she told Alex, and watched Shepard. "I got visions…but they're jumbled and hard to understand" Shiala stood, and Alex helped her with Layla.  
"I can help you. The Thorian gave me the Ciper. Embrace Eternity Shepard" she touched his chest, and they closed their eyes. Shiala's opened suddenly, completely black, and moments later they were thrown back to reality. "I hope that helps" she smiled, then wobbled back into the bed. "I must…rest now" she laid down, and seemed to pass out.  
Walking away from the colony after a few good-byes, and making sure everyone was alright, Alex looked at the crew. They walked away tall and proud, but deep in their eyes wasa cold, tired look. He could feel himself having that look too, as they walked into the airlock.  
"Joker. Call the crew into a meeting" Joker clicked off, and it was possible to hear him over the intercom as they were cleaned. The doors opened and Alex stepped out, relaxing now that he was on the ship. "Joker, while we're meeting get us out of here, and to the Citadel. We need more grenades, bullets, medi-gel, armor, and food" Alex could tell Joker did as he was told when the ship jolted a bit.  
In the meeting room Alex sat in his spot between Ashley and Kaiden, while Shepard stood in the middle. He told everyone what happened, and Alex shivered. His adrenaline rush was gone, and now the fear was striking his heart. Shepard looked at him and Garrus from time to time, thanking them for their work, or when he was talking about them. Wrex stood, "You should've brought me as well Shepard! I would've ripped them to pieces! That Thorian too" this made a few laugh, and other roll their eyes (Ashley).  
After the meeting Alex was the last to walk out, his armor still on, and passed by Tali. He felt like a husk, or a Thorian creeper, and went to their shared room. Pulling off his gear he walked out with just a towel wrapped around his waist, not caring if people saw him slightly nude.


	6. Chapter 6

Walking away from the colony after a few good-byes, and making sure everyone was alright, Alex looked at the crew. They walked away tall and proud, but deep in their eyes wasa cold, tired look. He could feel himself having that look too, as they walked into the airlock.

"Joker. Call the crew into a meeting" Joker clicked off, and it was possible to hear him over the intercom as they were cleaned. The doors opened and Alex stepped out, relaxing now that he was on the ship. "Joker, while we're meeting get us out of here, and to the Citadel. We need more grenades, bullets, medi-gel, armor, and food" Alex could tell Joker did as he was told when the ship jolted a bit.

In the meeting room Alex sat in his spot between Ashley and Kaiden, while Shepard stood in the middle. He told everyone what happened, and Alex shivered. His adrenaline rush was gone, and now the fear was striking his heart. Shepard looked at him and Garrus from time to time, thanking them for their work, or when he was talking about them. Wrex stood, "You should've brought me as well Shepard! I would've ripped them to pieces! That Thorian too" this made a few laugh, and other roll their eyes (Ashley).

After the meeting Alex was the last to walk out, his armor still on, and passed by Tali. He felt like a husk, or a Thorian creeper, and went to their shared room. Pulling off his gear he walked out with just a towel wrapped around his waist, not caring if people saw him slightly nude.

He stood in the shower, hand on the wall, water running down his back. He was thinking about what happened with the Thorian, and then heard the door open. He was in the shower to the far left, and Garrus came in, going to the far right. "How are you doing?" his voice was low and hoarse.

"I've been better. It's going to be a few restless nights. You know" he shrugged, and started to wash himself.

"That thing…it's dead now. That's all that matters" he seemed to be a bit shaken up as well. He took out a black bar, and rubbed it against his scaly skin. It seemed to scratch off the dirt and grime of the day. "So. 'Curb-stomping' what does this human term mean?" Alex looked at him and sighed.

"It wasn't popular until World War Two. They would take people, open their mouths, place the top of their teeth on a curb, and well…stomp on their neck. It was a swift kill, that didn't really require ammo, strength, or anything. Street cleaners would come and clean it. So…the wrong doers thought it was the easiest way" he finished the definition as he rinsed off the last of the soap.

Alex and Garrus seemed to be done at the same time, and got out, each grabbing towels. "Humans. Some are like turians, some women like asari, both genders can be like krogan. I like that. No two are even close to being a like" Alex chuckled.

"So which one am I?" he leaned over the skin in brush his teeth.

"Well with the way you flirt with Tali, I would say an asari" Garrus chuckled darkly as Alex gagged on his tooth brush.

"I'm just bring friendly…" he turned and gave Garrus a sharp look.

"Oh like how you were friendly with Liara and let her kiss you on the cheek?" he laughed even hard as Alex gagged once more.

"Jealous that you're not getting any action? Or are you just stalking me for fun?" Garrus stopped laughing, crossing his arms.

"You're funny Alex" there was a smile on Garrus's face. "No. You're more like a turian. Smart, cunning, a lady's man" they both laughed together at the last part. "I have to get some sleep. I'll see you around the ship Alex" he waved and walked out.

Alex did the same, sleeping in his shared room, not seeing Tali since the meeting. He woke hours later to a beep from his omni-tool. It read: Alex. We need to talk. Come to my office when you get the chance. –Commander Shepard. Alex remembered that Shepard had asked about his N7 training, and then sat there.

Thinking back he remember his past, and wondered if he could trust Shepard. What if he was ejected from the ship, reported to the Council, or that Tali was told. He dreaded that the most for some strange reason. He stood and walked out of his room, and traveled up to the Crew Deck. He walked out and went to the door opposite of the medical bay. He walked in, the doors opening. "You called for me?" Shepard motioned for him to sit by his bed, where he had a bottle of vodka.

"The Thorian was not an easy mission, I understand this, but you've been shaken up with all the missions. You're brave, yes, courageous, not a doubt about it, but you get emotional quickly. Why is this?" he poured them both a shot class and leaned back in his seat.

Alex took a sip, his eyes on the glass. He watched as the clear liquid made the ice cubes crack, and shift. Taking a deep breath he looked at Shepard, "I've never told anyone this. And the people that know are…medical professionals that aren't allowed to tell anyone. I hope…if this doesn't bother you too much, you're able to keep it to yourself" he paused. Shepard nodded, and Alex continued.

"My parents…well I don't know them. They donated their egg and sperm to a program to help make a child. Well…the place they sent it to, and the way the child was being made would probably enrage them. Cerberus took those elements, a biotic implant, hundreds of scientists, and created…what they would like to call 'the perfect bioticly controlled mind'. The amp was supposed to control me…and it did. For a long time. I was released from my pod at ten years of age, and sent the Earth with a foster family. They thought I was just some normal child with a biotic amp already in place" he looked Shepard in the eyes, his own filled with dark hollowness.

"I was sent into the Alliance Navy to learn what I could. I would send back the data after I finished the N7 program and was sent to a Cerberus watched part of space. Well…during my last N7 test they pushed me to the limits…set my biotic amp to explode, which it did, nearly killing me" he waited for Shepard to finish pouring a second round of glasses.

"Doctors say that I would be able to remember my training, life, and what happened to me easily. But because of the explosion, under pressure, I have a hard time with my emotions. It's nothing major, and has never endangered me before. I'm sorry if you felt unsafe in my company" he sat there and waited for Shepard to process his thoughts.

To Alex it seemed to last for hours, but it was merely a few minutes. "You're not spying on us now?" Alex was expecting this answer ad nodded.

"I had Dr. Chakwas double check that. The amp is a model she's seen before in other Alliance members. I've been imprisoned for a year, being watched, and proving my loyalty. I remember everything, from the moment they opened the tank to well…now" he shrugged lightly, sadness expressed on his face.

Shepard stood and then lightly tapped Alex's foot with his own, "I thank you for telling me such personal, and vital information. I won't tell a soul, unless it'll save your life. And I'm not going to kick you off this ship. You're welcome here Alex. We need a genius like you. But…are there…others like you?".

At this Alex looked to the side, "Yes…there were three of us. One was modeled to look like a child, inventor, innocent, but not controlled. She was their first try, and the amp failed to control her. Then where was another…I can't tell you much about that one, other than it was a failed experiment, and was started over again. Then me, less aggressive, smaller in size, and almost a perfect experiment. Until the Alliance saved me" Alex stood and watched Shepard start to pace.

Shepard nodded, and took one last shot of vodka, "Alright. Thank you again. If there's anything you need. I'm your man" he held out his hand to Alex. At that moment, Alex felt like Shepard could truly be a friend. Not just a Commander. After shaking hands and leaving Alex over to the medical-bay.

Watching the doors opened, Alex saw Dr. Chakwas and Tali walking. He bowed his head, "I apologize for interrupting. I'll come back another time" Tali laughed a little, while Dr. Chakwas called him back.

"We were just doing some check-ups. But now that we're done why not enlighten me and tell me about this Thorian" Alex looked at her, a hidden message saying that he didn't wish to talk about it.

Tali stepped forward, "Are you alright? I heard it was…an intense mission. All of you looked shaken up" she blinked her glowing eyes behind her mask.

Alex he sighed, "Yeah. It's still…wearing me down…" he rubbed the back of his neck. Dr. Chakwas nodded, and Tali gently touched his hand that was hanging by his side. He smiled at her softly, then looked at Dr. Chakwas, "I told Shepard about the…uh…thing. So if he comes to you about it, asking any questions, just tell him" Tali tilted her head to the side, but said nothing.

"Understood, and I'm glad you told him. Makes my job easier" Alex smile, one because her joke was subtle, and her accent always seemed to brighten up his mood. After a few moments of talking to Dr. Chakwas and Tali, he said his good-byes and went to his room. He sat on his bed, and then watched as Tali came in a few minutes later. She sat on his bed next to him and placed her hand on his.

He smiled and laid back, Tali watched for a second then followed, and they both stared up at the top bunk with content silence. Alex could slightly hear Tali's breath against her mask, and the could the slight movements she did. Her finger twitch as he laced his hand with her own. Alex closed his eyes enjoying the silence, and the comfort of having Tali next to him.

Without knowing it both Alex and Tali ended up falling asleep. When Alex woke he saw that Tali was curled up next to him, and he had moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder. His legs were still hanging off the bed, the top of his hair touching the wall. This made his heart leap with joy, like when he saw her for the first time on the Citadel.

After what seemed like second, which were several minutes, Tali moved waking herself up. She looked up, seeing Alex smiling down at her, his arm around her shoulder made her blink a bit. "I…I'm so sorry. I move in my sleep, and I" he pulled her a little closer and she stopped midsentence.

"It's alright. If you're comfortable I am too" she sat up, using his chest as support and then stretched. Tali got up and looked at her omni-tool.

"I'm sorry. But I'm needed in the Engine Room. Let's…do this again sometime" she walked out of the room, leaving Alex sitting there smiling.

"Alright" he whispered to himself, then stood. As he did his omni-tool went off, showing that Liara was calling, opening the message he smiled, "Hey Liara. What can I do for you?" it was a video message and she smiled.

"Yes. I really don't wish to mess something up on the Normandy, but can you come help me at the NavMap" he nodded and ended the message, heading out of his shared room. Heading to the elevator he pushed the button that sent him up, and waited. He noticed there was no music, and was happy. He hated elevator music, except for at bars. That's were the best music cloud be found, strong bass, fast rhythm, no lyrics to distract you from the song.

As he started to play some music from his omni-tool, at a low level, but loud enough for everyone near the elevator to stare at him. He had his eyes closed, nodding his head to the music. He was brought back to reality when Liara giggled, "Oh…that ride was shorter than I remember" he chuckled embarrassed and walked out. His face was slightly red as he walked up to Liara, whom had her hand over her mouth.

"Ah…please excuse that…interruption. What can I help you with?" everyone seemed to go back to work, which helped Alex relax.

"Yes…I may have messed up the NavMap" she looked at the ground, her hands behind her back. Alex looked at the map and chuckled, it was glitching.

"No no. It's not you. This map gets a constant update of information which is why it's so effective. Sometimes someone needs to come around and fix it, usually someone on the Citadel when the Normandy would go in for a resupply" he explained as Liara nodded.

He got on his knees to feel under the dashboards that were nearby, sensing that Liara was watching his every move. She knelt next to him, "What exactly are you looking for?" she blinked a few times as Alex pulled back with an exclamation of pain. She grasped his hand, "Are you alright?" she gently touched the burnt skin of his ring finger on his left hand.

He smiled at her, "Happens all the time with these systems. I don't think Shepard knows how to turn off the power when it's on the Citadel".

"Heard that Lieutenant" Shepard called softly as he looked at his data pad and walked towards the cockpit.

"Purely joking Commander!" he continued to smile, and winked at Liara, as a gesture that it truly was a joke. She giggled, and he laid his back on the floor looking up at the panel. He pulled the plate from the bottom of the panel, and inspected the upgrading system. "Liara…can you see if Tali, and Engineer Adams are busy? And if they are, could you ask them for the upgrading blueprints, E-235?" he waited as she went to do ask he politely asked.

While she was gone he watched the people sitting in the chairs around the ship, monitoring and controlling parts that he hoped to be able to help and fix. Be started to push options on the touch activated screen, when he saw Liara's feet. "They're both busy trying to regulate the Mass Effect field generation, so they just gave me this" she leaned down and handed him a data pad.

"Liara…this requires two people, do you mind helping me?" she agreed and laid next to him looking at the pad. "What does it say?" he looked at the pad, again and sighed. "It's going to take a professional from the Citadel…I'm sorry but you're not going to be able to do your research".

He stood, then reached out to help Liara stand as well, "I was just hoping that you could show me, and I wouldn't have to bother you again. I…heard you were having a little quiet time with…Tali" she hid her hands behind her back as Alex stared at her.

He lowered his voice, "Shh. Who told you?" she blinked. "It was Adams. He told me that you two were asleep on your bed" she bit her lip, as Alex started to blush a little.

"Please don't say anything. I don't know if it would be okay with Tali. And I would rather not be teased by anyone, and this is all new to me. Liara, please?" he whimpered softly. With Cerberus controlling his actions, he was never able to experience love like a normal person, let alone at all. Now he felt his heart jump into his throat, palms sweat. But he couldn't say anything, talk to anyone. She was a quarian, and he was a human, it wasn't as simple as asking her out for a date. He wanted to know more about her race to avoid offending her.

While he was thinking, Liara was laughing softly at him, and it eventually brought him back to reality, where he began to blush once more. "If you ever need any help, don't come to me. I've spent nearly fifty years of my life with artifacts and in ruins. I know almost nothing of love" he jumped a little at the word love, and looked around.

"Well…you're a good friend for not judging me, and you know. Just being kind" she smiled and he rubbed the back of his neck. He felt like what a teenager would, and sighed wishing he could've dealt with it earlier.

"Well you've helped me a lot while I've been on the Normandy. It's the least I can do. Besides, you're sweet, and nice, and strong, haha. I sound like I have a crush on you. I apologize, but if the NavMap isn't going to work I guess I should go work on something else. Thank you for your time. I'll see you another time Alex" he waved by as she walked off and saw Ashley walk by.

She saw that she was carrying some supplies in her arms towards the elevator, and seemed to be going to her little living quarter. Something dropped from her grasp and she didn't seem to notice, and went down towards the shuttle bay. There was a double hallway down there, allowing a few rooms to be put in between. Ashley shared one with Liara, Garrus shared one with Wrex, and Alex with Tali, and lastly Kaiden shared a room with Joker and Adams. Adams and Joker didn't battle, but Joker wasn't able to sleep in a sleeping pod due to his legs, and Adams preferred to be close to the engine.

He walked over the dropped object, and saw it was a small tube of paint. He blinked and went to the elevator, waiting for it to come back. It took only a few more moments and he stepped in, Kaiden calling for him to hold it. "Thank you. Lieutenant King right?" Alex held out his hand to shake it, and Kaiden took it with a smile. "We've been on this ship together for about two weeks, but you've been very elusive. Constantly going on mission, around the ship fixing things, or asleep. From what I hear you've taken quite a few hits" Alex chuckled.

"Yeah well, it's not easy being shot at by geth, half eaten by Thorian creatures, and shot at hypnotized colonists" they laughed together. At the stop they both stepped off and went to the left hallway, "I'll see you around. We should talk before our next mission" Alex waved good-bye and nodded.

Alex knocked on Ashley's door and heard a muffled reply, and waited patiently. Ashley stepped out, in a gray Alliance shirt, and a pair of jeans. Her clothes were covered in paint along with her fingers, "Lieutenant!" she stiffed and tried to salute, but Alex grabbed her wrist.

"It's just us. So you can relax. Oh you dropped this" she looked at his hand and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you! I was looking for my rusty red. I'm trying to finish this painting…" was speaking rapidly at first, the slowed down, a slight blush on her face. "I…usually don't tell this to my uh…commanding officers" Alex laughed at this, and Ashley looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"You're an artist Ashley. I heard you read poetry, but I didn't expect paintings…may I have a look?" he smiled lightly, hoping she would say yes. There was a long odd pause, that air still between them as Ashley mulled it over in her head. She slowly nodded and stepped out of the way. Alex blinked and looked around the neat, tiny little two person room, identical to his own, and smiled.

"Put the paint with the others please…" he nodded and placed it down, then looked at the canvas that was halfway covered in paint. There were oranges, browns, blacks, and reds swirled around the canvas. At the moment it was a blur to him, but as he looked, his mind started to remember. The days when he was in the N7 program, it was during their two week break.

His commander told him to go to Fairfield, California in the United States, and looked around the town. It was a small town of less than 10,000 people. He wondered why he was sent there, and then realized why, it was fall in the United States, and the leaves were falling. Normally the town's street cleaning system would clean the streets, leaving them clean of all leaves. But this town was nearly 150 years out of date with the rest of the world. It's houses were still made of brink, wood and plaster, instead of different metals. The houses still had their own personal lawns that the man of the house would have to mow.

During the fall the leaves would fall, and the teenagers trying to make a little credit would rack the leaves. But in the rolling hills of the farm land, the green grass was sprinkled with leaves, all different colors. In the early morning when the grass was covered in dew, Alex would walk through the grass, watching the leaves move around his boots. Water leeching onto his feet and he found a tree to sit under as he watched the sun rise over the hills and sent a ray of rainbows from the dew.

Alex felt that somehow Ashley had gotten into his head and was painting the scene from his past. "Ashley…this is…beautiful" there were rolling hills in the background, and the ground was covered in what was going to become leaves.

"You…know what it is?" she walked up next to him and looked at it. She had her arms crossed on her chest, a slight tilt in her stance, one knee slightly bent as she tiled her head in the other direction.

"It's…autumn, the leaves are falling on the rolling hills, I'm guessing the sun is about to come up, and scatter rays of color over the area" she looked at him with surprise, her jaw slightly slack.

"How'd…you know? It's so hard to…capture the rays of lights that come off the dew in the morning. It's like…your eyes are capturing the essence of life" Alex nodded, his hands on his pockets, and chuckled.

"I would've sworn you were in my head, painting what I saw" she chuckled. "Well I thought that you were reading my mind your something. You have a keen eye for art…thanks for noticing my work in progress" he elbowed her gently.

"You shouldn't keep this a secret. You have a talent, and it's in an art form that's no longer popular. Everything is digital now, with almost no skill needed. Just a creative mind" she looked at him, then back at the canvas slowly nodding.

"I just don't like talking about my…softer talents. Most people just think of me as a stiff military solider, and if anyone knew about it that didn't understand…might think I'm weak. You know?" she looked at the ground, and Alex placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll kick anyone's ass that belittles you for such an amazing skill Ash. And if anyone thinks you're not capable of what you do on the battlefield, they're idiots" she smiled at him, then nudged him.

"Stop it Lieutenant. I think you're breaking a conduct code. But we're off duty, and alone, so I won't say anything" they laughed lightly together, spending a few more moments looking at the drawing. Each was starting to wonder, but was brought back to reality when Joker spoke over the com.

"We're heading to the Citadel for the NavMap to be fixed, and for more supplies. If you need anything you have a twelve hour window to get it done. Joker out" Alex nodded at his own thoughts and clapped his hands together suddenly.

"I'm going to the bar, have a drink, a little dancing, and relax. I've been on too many missions recently" he truly was fatigued, but also wanted to have a little fun, and was yearning to listen to some good music again. As they said their good-byes Alex walked out the door and nearly smacked into Tali. The door closed behind him and he smiled at her, slightly surprised.

"Hear the announcement? We get a little break. I was…wondering if you had anything to do. And if not…wouldn't mind going to the bar with me" his smile slowly faded and Tali made a noise that didn't mean anything good.

"Adams needs me to pick up some supplies for the Normandy. We ran into some problems, and if we don't get them checked the ship may not be able to leave the Citadel for a day or too. And…well, you know Shepard. He likes to keep going, and going, and _going_" she groaned the last part and Alex couldn't help but smile again.

"You act like that's a bad thing. Help you remember home right? The Migrant Fleet is constantly moving right? So this should help you feel…I don't know. At home? Maybe?" he leaned against the wall as Tali slowly nodded.

"True…I should look at all this work as a stress reliever. It'll help me keep my mind off of home, and help me not miss it. Plus…being able to talk to a few close people" after she said that Adams called for her, and Alex could hear sirens going off.

"Keelah!" Tali touched his shoulder, saying good-bye, then ran off towards the Engine room. Alex walked over, and saw that the small room was filled with people walking back and forth swiftly. "Out of the way!" one of them gently pushed him out of the way, panic in her eyes, and Alex walked off, clearing not wanted.

It was a few hours before they could get to the Citadel, reports saying that the engine was putting out too little energy, and was in danger of being picked up by a planet's gravitational pull. The problem was easily fixed, and Adams was thanked. He was even kind enough to give Tali and the crew a little credit, and Alex respected that.

The ship docked, Alex shrugged mentally and walked off, heading to Purgatory. He walked in, and if the basses were sitting on the floor they would be jumping up and down. The music was fast, loud, and hard, everything Alex loved. A smile slowly crept onto his face as he walked over to the bar. He ordered a drink that would but a Krogan on his ass, and drained it.

His senses started to dull, and the music become seductive Alex started to dance. He danced with humans and asari, the only females at the bar. The only other people to dance with were male Krogan and turians, and he wasn't in the mood to dance with guys.

As about an hour passed, but the party got boring, Alex sat at the bar, drinking a glass of water. He was sobering up from that alcohol rushing through his system, and waited for the hangover which caused him to become sad. He wanted to relax and dance with some friends, but none of them were at the bar at the time.

Only minutes after he finished his water, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, his head swimming from the alcohol, and after a second saw Tali. "Tali? What about the engine?" he was thankful that the alcohol was finally out of his system, and he was able to speak in a respectful manner.

"I got out early. I was able to find the problem, and Adams told me to take a break for a few hours. I thought I'd take you up on your offer. Do you want to stay here? Or go somewhere else?" Tali seemed to be extremely uncomfortable in the bar and Alex wanted to have a nice time with her.

"Let's get out of here! Take a walk around the Citadel!" she nodded and he placed a hand on her shoulder blade, gently leading her out. As they left the bar they turned a corner and Tali slowed and stopped. There were gunshots in the walls, and burn marks from what looked like explosions.

"This…is where Saren's men attacked me, and where Shepard found me. He saved my life, and brought me onto the ship. I had some audio information from a geth unit that I had disabled, and he was trying to kill me" she looked around, as if in a daze. Alex slowly walked up to her and softly grasped her hand.

She turned and he looked her in the eyes, "As long as I'm here nothing bad is going to happen. I swear I'll protect you with my life Tali. I care about you" she seemed stunned by that, and he heard a small gasp. Tali's grip lightly tightened on his hand and nodded, walking into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, at a respectful level, and held her close.

To the both of them it seemed like a long meaningful hug, but it was only a minute, and yet still meaningful. "Let's get out of here. There's this nice place over-looking the whole place" she nodded and they walked off, hands still clasped together, shoulders gently bumping as they walked.

It was a few minutes before they reached where he wanted to be, and it was right outside the Embassy. He pointed to a ladder, "There's a great view up here. Only mechanis know about it because we do some work on the solar panels. They were taken out a month ago. I have friends that live on the Citadel" he started to climb, and disappeared at the top.

He leaned over and smiled, "Coast is clear" she tilted her head, wondering what he meant. "Oh…uh it's empty. And there are no cameras. We'll be safe up here" she nodded, then looked around nervously. She started to climb up, and at the top slipped a little, tripping into Alex. He smiled, and she leaned a little bit more, resting her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her once again, and he exhaled happily.

Tali moved slightly, and Alex opened his eyes, that somehow ended up closed, and saw that the Citadel was getting ready to put everyone to bed. The artificial sunlight was dwindling, and send a wonderful display of colors across the fake sky. "I'll help you get your home world back Tali" he whispered gently as she moved a bit.

"I would do anything to get Rannoch back. But I do have to admit…" she looked at the sky, and her body seemed to tense slightly. "It's…nice being around you Alex". She leaned over more, placing more weight on his chest and shoulder, and Alex adjusted to comply and held her.

"Calling all Normandy crew members. We'll be departing in one hour. Please end all of your affairs and head back to the ship as soon as possible" Alex looked at his omni-tool, and saw that Tali's lit up too and sighed.

"Shall we head back?" Tali slowly nodded and stood stretching out in the failing 'sun' light. Alex stood as well and went down the ladder first, "Be careful, the last one likes to move on you" she nodded and came down slowly. Naturally Alex placed a hand on her back as she reached the bottom, politely guiding her. As they reached the ship again he looked at Joker and smiled. "I'll see you around Tali. I want to talk to Joker before we send off" at that Joker turned in his seat and looked at Alex.

"What's up King?" he moved screens around, clicking items that started warming up the ship slowly, so they didn't have to worry about overheating or breaking a fuse.

"We've never really talked Jeff. I just wanted to thank you for saving our asses so many times, and compliment you on your damn good flying, and humorous jokes. Jeff chuckled, still moving around the glowing orange screens, and then turned in his chair.

"From what I've heard through the com you're not half bad yourself. I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor. This chair doesn't exactly make it easy to get in and out, because it doesn't move at all. I guess it's for safety reasons for regular pilots. When people have brittle bone disease like me, it makes getting up to piss dangerous" he chuckled darkly and adjusted his SR1 hat.

Alex knelt and looked at the chair, scanning it for anything that would allow for such a procedure. "I would have to get a whole new chair, and new railing system so that you can not only move it back and forth but swivel from side to side. Then I can send a wiring system through it so all you have to do is push a button and it locks securely in place for dangerous missions" Jeff smiled and adjusted himself in his seat.

"Could you…possibly make the seat more comfortable as well?" he smiled sheepishly and Alex chuckled.

"You would have to have it hand made, and pay for it yourself. But I can install it and make the base" Jeff grasped his hand and shook it, a small smile on his face.

"And once that's done you won't owe me anymore" they laughed together and Alex watched Jeff do his joke, and looked at the ships that were flying by. After a few minutes of silence, except for Jeff's clicking of the controls, Alex walked off to his room. There he sat at the small desk and pulled out a few data pads.

These data pads glowed a light blue instead of orange, and came with pens. These were specific for blueprints, and creating 3-D figures. Every good engineer and mechanic had such devices. Alex spent the next few days looking over the prints, asking Garrus, Ashley, Tali, and even Wrex and Liara what to do. It was hard work, but it put a smile on Alex's face, and allowed him to push his knowledge to the edge.

He was taking a break from his work, and Tali was asleep on her bunk when a call came over the com. "All combat ready crew members please report to the Comm room, it looks like we have another mission" Joker clicked out and Alex stood looking back at Tali. She stirred and Alex tapped her gently, his fingers touching her suit, feeling the warmth that came from her skin.

"I know you're sleeping, but we're needed" he gently touched her hand and she wrapped her fingers around his. She slowly sat up, her body seemed to creek under the stress of the gravity on the ship. She placed a hand on her mask as if she were going to rub her eyes and groaned. Alex chuckled and pulled her down, placing her in his arms. She laughed tiredly, and wrapped her long thin arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Let's get going" he walked out the door and placed her down, she seemed sad but walked to the comm room anyways. Once they stepped in Alex saw two spots open next to each other and lead them to it. They were in the middle of the right side with Liara to their left, and Wrex to their right. On the other side there was Ashley, Garrus, and Kaiden. Shepard was standing in the middle like always, but this time his tone was harsh, anxious and upset.

"We know of this thing called the Conduit, we know about the geth, but we still have one thing stopping us; he information that only Matriarch Benezia has for us. We've gotten information that her and Saren have been seen on Noveria. We're going there, on 'Spectre' business and try and find them and stop whatever it is they're doing" he looked around, making sure everyone was paying attention.

Alex nodding, then looked from person to person, wondering who was going this time. He had gone on nearly every mission, and his muscles were becoming increasingly fatigued. His biotic amp was heating up more and more often, and caused massive headaches. It was nothing compared to what happened to Kaiden, but it was still making him ill.

"I'm taking Liara, Garrus and you again Alex" Alex's heart dropped in his chest and he felt like his head was going to explode or his skin was going to call from his body. "But you're staying in the Mako. I want you to drive it to the garage, and drive us to where ever it is we need to go. Also it'll allow you to take a break, but we still need you. I apologize for making you do this again" Alex waved him off, not minding the mission this time.


End file.
